


Taming the Wild

by Cherikella



Series: Wild West Mutants [1]
Category: Cherik - Fandom, Western - Fandom, X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Charles is a schoolteacher, Cowboys, Erik is a blacksmith, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, Guns, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, School, Western, Wild West AU, dadneto, experiments on mutants, grumpy erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 19:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 49,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6437683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherikella/pseuds/Cherikella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Cherik Wild West AU: Mutants in the Wild West. </p><p>Charles Xavier finds himself crossing the entire ocean to America to find his sister Raven. However the task turns out to be more difficult than he expected because Raven is nowhere to be found. </p><p>In the meantime Charles settles in a small town where he starts a new life as a school teacher. There he meets Erik Lehnsherr - the town's blacksmith. Although at first he believes Erik is the rudest person he's ever met, the two start a friendship and Charles becomes a teacher to Erik's kids. </p><p>However both Charles and Erik have their own little secrets that no one should ever uncover. </p><p>Would Charles find his beloved sister and is she still alright? Would Erik's tragic past haunt him forever and prevent him from finding his happiness? Would Charles have the guts to admit that his feelings for his new friend are a bit past the line of friendship? This and more in Taming the Wild!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Blacksmith

Charles was holding his broken [telescope](http://www.johnbeazorantiques.co.uk/gfx/lg_483091.jpg) in his hands, clenching his fingers tightly around the metal tube. He was still new in town and kind of nervous about meeting new people. A little self-conscious for not knowing the ways of the West, he also felt a little alienated in the Carlton society. Being the new school teacher in the little Western town Charles became a target of criticism by some who believed schooling was redundant for the children in these parts. All kids needed to become adults was hard work and strong arms, according to most of the Carlton people. 

Charles did not even need to use his gift of reading the minds - his telepathy - to know what the majority of the people in town thought about him. _Little English know-it-all who came to act superior to everyone else just because he had posh education._  Their thoughts were loud enough for Charles to hear, even though he constantly tried to shield himself. But even if it wasn't in their minds, it was also in their eyes - he could see the way they all looked at him. All but a few, of course. Miss Moira McTaggart, Mr. Hank McCoy. Those were the people who actually cared about knowledge and those were the people who were establishing - or at least trying to establish - a new school in Carlton. 

And, by God, Charles was going to help them as much as he could! He stood firmly by his strong belief that knowledge was light and education was the candle to give us a glimpse of that light. Therefore, going to school was important for the development of every human being and nothing was going to stop him from teaching the children knowledge and values that endured all.

And yet, it was astonishing how little of the parents in town were actually willing to let their children study. It was depressing how empty the classrooms were. But Charles held onto hope. He held onto hope so tightly it hurt. Hope was all he had. Hope that he will find his sister again. Hope that the school will not fail. Hope that one day the world will be a better place. 

... But now his telescope was broken and no matter how much he procrastinated meeting a blacksmith who was probably just as shallow about education and knowledge as the rest of the people in town, he had to deal with it now. How hard could it be to talk to the blacksmith anyway!? 

Charles knocked on the side of the open door of the blacksmith's workshop and gave a friendly smile at the figure of the man inside the workshop. He was tall, lean, dirty, his hair was messy, his face was twisted in a grimace. He did not seem like someone who was pleased at having company. But then again, Charles wasn't here to keep him company - he was here because of the broken lens. And yet, it was in Charles' nature to be polite and to try to win over every person he meets.

"I hope I'm not interrupting..." he said, his voice, a little too quiet, sounding a bit shaky to his own ears. There was no visible reaction to his words so he continued “Umm, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Charles Xavier.”

The man’s eyes looked at him from under his eyebrows. The expression was stern, hard. “Lehnsherr.” He barked.

Charles smiled a bit awkwardly “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lehnsherr.” He said “That’s an interesting name to come across in these parts.”

Charles was only trying to make conversation but the man did not seem much interested in that. “Interesting name for an uninteresting person.” Was his short reply and after that he went back to work, twisting the metal with his strong arms. 

Charles held his breath. "Of course." he nodded quickly, feeling even more ridiculous now. "I myself am not from these parts actually. I came all the way from England, if you can't tell by the accent..." he joked and chuckled sheepishly but when he saw there was little, or let's face it, no interest in what he was saying, he decided to move on straight to the point. “I'm here for this...” he handed the telescope to the blacksmith and started explaining what was wrong with it. 

"I can see the problem. It's sort of my job and I'm good at it." Lehnsherr said and Charles swallowed. 

"Well, of course you are. Of course." he nodded "So can you repair it?" 

Lehnsherr gave a nod. "I just said I was good at it, didn't I?" 

"Yes... well, how much will it cost?" Charles inquired and Erik provided the answer in the same distant, uninterested manner that was edging on rudeness. 

"When can you--?" 

"Now." Erik said and turned his back to Charles.

"Can I stay and wait?" Charles asked

"If you have nothing better to do." Mr. Lehnsherr groaned back as he hid himself behind a screen-like shape made of metal where he started his work on the telescope. 

Charles could not see what he was doing but by the sound of it, the repair was going pretty smoothly. Charles paced around a bit, he fidgeted his fingers and finally he decided he needed to chat while waiting after all. 

"I’m the school teacher here." Charles spoke again when the silence became too uncomfortable for him.

“School’s closed.” Lehnsherr said from behind the metal screen.

“Oh! Yes, indeed but I’m reopening it.” Charles grinned proudly. 

The man's head appeared from behind the screen only to stare at Charles head to toe. It made Charles feel a little self-conscious. These eyes felt as if they were trying to penetrate his very soul. 

 _"You?”_ Lehnsherr asked and Charles could hear the mockery in his voice, the doubt that someone like Charles could do anything useful. Charles was shielding his telepathy once again - like he always did - but he could feel what Erik thought of him as if he were in his head right now. He could see himself through Erik's eyes, standing small and ridiculous in front of that giant.

“I—I am." he said. "Not alone, of course. Moira McTaggart and Hank McCoy are among the people who’re helping me. Or rather I'm helping them.” as he spoke the passion for the cause was streaming through his his words and into his voice. “It’s a good cause. A good deed. We need knowledge! And we need to educate these kids. We'll give them whatever knowledge we can and open a whole knew endless world for them!”

Lehnsherr chuckled. “Whatever you say, kid.” He said

Charles pursed his lips. _I’m not a kid!_ He wanted to shout but his good manners did not allow him to stoop down to the blacksmith’s level. So he only bit his lip and waited until Lehnsherr was done with his work. The man was obviously a brute with no manners. Charles had nothing more to say to that sort of a rough person. 

It didn't take long for the blacksmith to reemerge from behind the screen with Charles' expensive telescope in his hands. 

“Is that to your satisfaction?” he asked as he handed Charles the instrument

Charles took the telescope, their hands brushing slightly only for a second as he did so but Charles quickly pulled his away so that they don't actually touch. The blacksmith’s brow flinched a bit and he started cleaning his hands with a cloth as if he suddenly became self-conscious about them. Charles' gaze was on the telescope while the blacksmith threw the cloth back on the rack he took it from and looked back at Charles, waiting for an answer.  

"Well?" he asked, arching an eyebrow 

“It’s perfect.” Charles announced after a small pause in which he examined the telescope. "It's really remarkable! The last time I asked someone to do this for me, they almost ruined this! And you even fixed what they distroyed! I honestly didn't expect you to be so skilled, Mr. Lehnsherr!" 

The man huffed as if not expecting his handiwork to be less than perfect. Charles was a bit perplexed by this smugness but he had to admit the man had a right to take pride in his work. The repairing was excellently done and Charles' telescope was as good as new - even parts that were long broken and Charles had gave up on ever returning the telescope back to its previous quality. Mr. Lehnsherr had not only repaired it, he had improved it! That was truly impressive!

"That is truly impressive!" he voiced his last thought enthusiastically, grateful to this man - hard and rough as he was - for the wonders he did to Charles' precious telescope. 

"You're welcome." the man said with a nod. "Come back when there's something else that needs repairing. 

Charles smiled and offered his hand. "It was good meeting you, Mr. Lehnsherr." he said and payed the man. "Goodbye." he turned around, walking towards the exit. 

"See you around." Mr. Lehnsherr replied and Charles frowned at the strange flutter in his stomach as he heard the man say that. 

"Yes..." he muttered "It's a small town." 


	2. Into the Woods

Charles' next meeting with the blacksmith happened sooner than either of them could expect. 

One fine day at the school, Charles was grading papers and Moira was teaching the small class of kids new songs when a letter arrived. As soon as Charles opened it, he jumped up from the desk vigorously and grabbed his hat. 

"Charles?" Moira looked at him puzzled, so did the class. 

"I-- I have to go, Moira! This can't wait, not even a moment, not even a second!" was all he could say in his excitement before rushing out of the sunlit schoolroom and climbing on top of his horse's back. 

Charles was a good rider, he's always been a good rider and it seemed really fitting for him now because he needed the fastest way possible to get to the little wood-like area just outside town. 

Good news! Finally good news! 

 

**To Mr. Charles Xavier, the city of Carlton, April 22, 1885.**

**Mr. Xavier,**

**After months of extensive search I have the honour of informing you that I have found your sister - Miss Raven - and am currently bringing her to you. Unfortunately one of the wheels of our coach is broken and cannot be repaired as quickly as we hoped. Miss Raven is in no condition to ride and I have no other way of taking her to town. If possible, come get us. If not, we'll arrive in two days or about.**

**Harrison Alston.**

 

You can imagine Charles' sheer happiness upon receiving this message. Of course he'd come get his sister! Of course, he'd not wait another day for it! He needed to hold Raven in his arms and make sure she's alright! And Alston mentioned something about Raven's condition...? Charles couldn't wait calmly in Carlton while his sister was so close and yet so far away in a 'condition'! 

Charles' insane riding did not go unnoticed throughout the small town. Passers by stared at him as he flew past them as if he were a criminal or a lunatic. But Charles could not care less. All that was on his mind now was Raven. 

He was soon out of town, near the woods. He slowed down the horse' pace and looked around. There was nothing and no one to be seen. He got off the horse and approached the woods. 

"Raven?" he called "Mr. Alston?" 

There was no reply and Charles began to worry. What if they were attacked? What if something terrible happened? What if Charles was too late?...

Suddenly he felt strong arms grabbing him from behind and twisting his arms to his back, slamming him into a tree. Charles cried in pain and tried to resist but it was all a fruitless attempt. He was caught by surprise; unable to defend himself he received a hard blow on his head and by the time his vision became less of a blur, he was already tied down to a tree.

Charles looked up, warm streak of blood was slowly sliding down from his temple to his cheek, down to his chin. There was a man, a huge threatening figure, casting down a shadow on Charles. Charles squinted his eyes and forced his blurry vision to form some kind of an image of his attacker. The man above him was none other than Alston. 

"Why are you doing this? You were supposed to be working for me..." Charles managed, his speech slurred "You were supposed to find Raven..." 

"I got a better offer." the man said and took out a knife. 

Charles froze. This was a trap. All of it. From the start. Raven wasn't here and this person was after him. Charles' mind quickly started calculating for any possibility of escape. His best weapon was his mind, his telepathy. But when he tried it on the man,  _it did not work._

Charles panicked. He had no explanation as to what was happening and why Alston's mind was immune to Charles' power. That has never happened to him before.

He was scared, and not ashamed to admit it. He was scared because he would never be able to see Raven again. He was scared because if one of the men that Charles had hired to look for her was in fact trying to kill Charles, Raven was in danger too. He was afraid because without Charles Raven was all alone in this wild world. Charles had to live in order to do his best to help his sister. But Charles realized with terror that his telepathy couldn't help him this time, that he was slowly losing consciousness and the man before him had a knife. There was no one around in these parts and the chance for escape in this case, in this condition, was... zero. 

Just as he could feel the cold blade of the knife on his skin, he felt it slide away inches from his skin and he realized he was not hurt. His telepathy alerted him of the presence of a familiar mind but Charles couldn't find a name yet.

He opened his eyes to see a tall man tackling Alston on the ground a few steps away from where Charles was. The two were clenched in a desperate deadly battle. Someone had come to his rescue! Someone was saving him!

Alston was a large man but Charles' rescuer somehow managed to keep him down, the two rolling in the dry grass, each trying to prevail. Alston had dropped his knife when the other man tackled him and was now trying to reach for his guns but the man had pushed those away too so both of them were unarmed. 

Charles glanced at the metal blade of Alston's knife, glittering not too far from him and he tried to reach it with his foot in order to untie himself. 

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath because the knife was too far and too hard to get. 

Charles' rescuer heard his quiet groan apparently because he glanced at Charles for a second before getting hit by Alston and turning back to him again. That short second, though, was enough for Charles to see the face of the man who was his savior - it was Lehnsherr, the blacksmith from Carlton. 

Charles had no time to be surprised. 

"Untie yourself!" Lehnsherr called as he was trying to keep Alston down.

The huge man was not easy to overcome but Lehnsherr was doing surprisingly well, Charles noted absentmindedly. He made one more effort to reach the knife and this time the metal blade came so easily to him that Charles would call it magic, if he didn't know any better. He cut the ropes and jumped up from the ground, stumbling a bit from his dizziness.  

"Are you alright?" Lehnsherr's voice sounded tense and strained from the fight 

Charles' head was spinning too much for him to understand the question. 

"I said, are you alright?" Lehnsherr repeated, more demanding this time, his eyes searching Charles for any visible wounds other than the one on his head. 

Alston used the advantage of Erik looking away to punch him hard in the face and knock him off of himself. He sprout up, looking for his guns, while Erik was on the ground a few steps away, recovering from the blow. 

It all came back to Charles like a whirlpool. That man, Alston, had lied to Charles by giving him false hope that his sister was near, he endangered Raven, then tried to kill Charles and now he was going to hurt Lehnsherr - the man who came to Charles' rescue. That was not acceptable!

Charles' face twisted in an angry grimace and threw himself at Alston with the man's own knife in his hands. His anger and despair were giving him extra-strength, unusual for him. 

"Don't make another move!" he gritted through his teeth. "I need to know why." he said quietly but ominously, his eyes piercing through Alston's very soul "Who made you do this? Who wants me dead?"

His voice was shaking a little but Alston could read it in Charles' eyes that he wasn't joking, that he needed answers. The man opened his mouth to speak when suddenly a gunshot pierced the air and Alston's face twisted in a combination of pain and surprise. He slid down to the ground, glassy eyes and a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth. 

Charles looked down at Alston's body, spread down on the ground before him and swallowed. Was the man really dead?


	3. That's One Way to Say Thank You

Charles blinked a few times, his tired brain trying to catch up on the events. He was staring at Alston - there was no doubt the man was dead. 

"What the--" Charles whispered, trying to get his breath back. 

"You're welcome." he heard Lehnsherr's voice from behind him and stared at him. 

"You shot him!" Charles said, still too shocked for his brain to process the information

"Yeah." Lehnsherr nodded, wiping sweat and dirt off his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. 

"You killed him!" Charles repeated, just as astonished as the previous time

"I know." Erik said not really sounding that bothered by the revelation. 

"No... No, no, no, no, no! You weren't supposed to do that!" Charles fell down on his knees, frantically checking Alston for pulse and other vital characteristics. 

"It was either him or us, what did you expect me to do? Invite him to have tea with us?" 

Charles glared at Erik. "Well, you weren't supposed to kill him!" Charles snapped desperately 

Erik furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry, didn't I just save your life?" he asked sarcastically 

Charles huffed and shut his eyes close for a moment, running his fingers through his messy hair. 

"Yes. Yes, you did. And I thank you for it." he said, pouting a little "But I still needed this man alive. I needed him to tell me who gave him this order and you shot him before he could explain!" 

Lehnsherr shook his head, whistling for his horse to come to him. "Listen, kid, the man was not gonna talk. That sort of scum never do." 

Charles frowned. "I'm not a kid. And you can't know that! I was going to convince him!" he insisted 

Lehnsherr raised an eyebrow and chuckled with a head shake. "Are you serious?" 

Charles felt offended by the blacksmith's behaviour. "I am quite serious, yes. I know what I'm doing." 

"Do you? Because it appeared as if you were getting your ass kicked." 

Now Charles really glared. "Not everything is decided by brutal force!" he said firmly. 

"Of course  _you_ _'_ _d_ say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charles crossed his hands on his chest.

"I know your kind" Erik said "Scholars. You hide behind your books, playing real clever." his voice was low but firm, growling a bit. "This ain't clever, schoolboy. That ain't real life. I know real life... _you_ know nothing but your fantasy world of abstract notions you read about in your books!"

He lit up a cigar, the smell of it choking Charles. Lehnsherr noticed Charles' reaction and it only made him chuckle. "A proper damsel in distress!" 

"I'm no damsel, sir!" Charles insisted, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Oh, no?" there was challenge in Erik's voice "Why not?"

"Because I'm a man!" Charles said firmly

Lehnsherr's eyes were laughing at him. "Who says only women get to be damsels in distress, schoolboy?" he replied even more amused now "Some of the best women I know can break your neck without a flinch if you as much as look at them the wrong way. Women can take care of themselves, kid! You can't. _Therefore,_ you're the damsel! I might turn out to be your hero... again... who knows... It's the Wild West, kid! So get your head out of the books and start living a little before you get a bullet in that clever brain of yours." 

Charles needed a minute to come up with a proper reply to this tirade and in the meantime his confused blue eyes were staring at Lehnsherr as if trying to poke a hole in him.

"What?" Lehnsherr asked, furrowing his brow. 

Alston's dead body was still lying casually on the ground, gathering a few flies, but neither men paid much attention to it. 

"I--" Charles stuttered, still unable to form the sentence he so wanted to blurt out. 

He could easily mind control Lehnsherr, freeze him, cause him unimaginable pain, make him relive his worst nightmares. Charles' gift could do despicable things! And yet Charles would never allow himself to unleash that power. Charles would never let himself lose control. Not even when he was pushed right to his very limits.

Erik shook his head "You're furious with me." he said, not sounding surprised or upset. It was merely an observation. 

"Well, can you blame me?" Charles asked, cheeks red with fury

"You're furious with me and yet you're struggling to find a polite way to tell me to fuck off." the blacksmith chuckled again "Really, kid, you should just do it. Just do it!" he repeated louder, startling Charles. 

"D-do what?" Charles asked confused once again. 

"Tell me what you think, forget this mask of false politeness that you charm others with. I want the real you. I can take it." 

"I'm not sure that--" 

Lehnsherr interrupted him impatiently "I'm a grown man, kid, I promise I can take you telling me off so just do it. I was honest with you, why can't you return the favour. I did make you furious after all. There's nothing you could say that I don't deserve to hear." 

Charles felt his heart beating like crazy in his chest, his temples pulsating, all the disappointment and stress of the last hours, of the last months, spreading inside him like poison through his veins. He took a deep breath and let his mouth begin to talk before his brain could catch up and stop it. 

"Very well!" he said passionately "You're a good blacksmith, good at surviving, good fighter and have surprisingly strong arms, but you're rude, uneducated and you lack compassion! You don't care about anyone but yourself! You try to appear as if you're helping me like a big hero but in fact it's all about your ego and need to feel important! You're selfish, egoistic, full of yourself and frankly, you're boring! You think you know life but the truth is you're just miserable and bitter!" he paused to breathe. 

"Are you finished?" Erik asked, not one bit bothered by Charles' words. 

"No! There's more!" Charles said, getting even deeper into the subject "You will regret your words some day! And you will realize what books and knowledge can give is just as important as your more empirical knowledge! Books combine the empirical knowledge of generations of people! Books are the way we transmit that knowledge to our children, leave them legacies, teach them lessons, support them, help them even after we're long gone!" Erik's face darkened "But I doubt you'd ever grasp that concept!" Charles bit back, his heart still racing like it had never before. 

Lehnsherr was silent. Charles was confused. He expected some kind of reaction, instead Erik was staring at him with dead eyes and a frown, biting hard at the cigarette between his lips. Charles saw the man was clenching his fists and for a moment Charles thought maybe he went too far, crossed a line, and Lehnsherr was now going to kill him - shoot him with that big gun he used to kill Alston only half an hour ago. He swallowed. Charles never liked guns. Or maybe Erik would rather finish him off with his own hands - those huge strong hands with long fingers that Charles also was quite aware of. To protect himself Charles would have to use his telepathy and then his secret would be out. The people in Carlton were already distancing themselves from him because he was an out-of-towner; what would they do if he was a mutant on top of that!? No, he could not risk endangering the reputation of the school! He had to keep his mutation secret and only show it if there was absolutely no other way.

Lehnsherr took a step towards him and Charles gasped involuntarily, shutting his eyes closed. 

"Did you just flinch?" he heard Lehnsherr's voice.

His voice sounded no different than before and Charles opened one eye. 

"I d-didn't!" Charles stuttered 

Lehnsherr chuckled again. "Good one. I almost believed your mouth instead of my own eyes." he said, putting out the cigarette and immediately folding a new one "You flinched. As I said - damsel in distress." 

With those words Lehnsherr strode past Charles, got on his horse and left. 

Charles felt like an idiot. Somehow the desired effect of his passionate speech was ruined. Well, at least he didn't die today.  


	4. The New Kids in School

It's been two days since the events of that fateful morning when Charles almost got killed. He was still annoyed at the fact that he couldn't find out who wanted him dead. Whoever tried to have him killed would probably try again so Charles was sure the identity of that person would be discovered sooner or later.

He was also confused as to why his telepathy did not work on Alston when it never failed him before. Charles suspected it had something to do with the strange material Alston had wrapped around his head under his hat but the body was taken by the authorities before Charles could examine it further. There was nothing to be done so he tried not to worry himself with that but instead decided to check for more traitors among the people he hired to find Raven. 

To take his mind off of worrying about Raven and whether she was okay and even whether she was still alive, Charles threw all his energy into his new cause - the school! There was a lot of work to do and he was gladly burying himself in it.

That sunny morning Charles was going through his books and notes again, preparing for the next lessons of the day when he heard someone coming. He closed the books and took out the small gun he was keeping in his top drawer, just in case. Turned out he did not really need it because the visitors were none other but Erik Lehnsherr and two kids. 

Charles was surprised to see children around Lehnsherr - the tall rough man could scare a grown person, let alone a small kid. But here Lehnsherr was with these two little ones following him close by. 

"You called me ignorant and uneducated." Erik began straight to the point. "I am now bringing you these two so that they're not ignorant and uneducated too." he said 

"You really mustn't take my words out of context. I was referring to your attitude towards books when I said those things." Charles said, his eyes falling down on the kids and giving them a soft smile. "Besides I'm pretty sure I never called you ignorant." he added, looking up at Erik again. 

Their eyes crossed and there was a short pause there during which none of them spoke. 

"Are we supposed to stay here all day, daddy?" the little girl asked, tugging at Erik's hand. 

"Daddy!?" Charles repeated, unable to hide his surprise. 

Erik noticed that. "Those are my children." he told Charles, gently pushing the kids in front of himself so that Charles could take a proper look at them. "This is little Wanda, and this one here is a real ball of energy - Peter. He never stands still, I must warn ya."

Charles chuckled warmly. "Nice to meet you, Wanda and Peter." he smiled 

The kids stood close to Lehnsherr... their father Lehnsherr... Lehnsherr who was a father... The thought was still so new, Charles could not yet process it. Lehnsherr was a father... These were his kids. 

"That over there is your new teacher." Erik's voice pulled Charles out of his thoughts. "So you kinda have to talk to him." 

The kids were still a bit shy. 

Erik turned towards Charles again "They don't get out much..." he explained a bit awkwardly and Charles realized that this was the first time he's ever seen that man nervous. 

Charles stepped closer to the kids and crouched down so that he'd look at them as an equal. 

"I'm Charles Xavier. Welcome to school." he said with another warm smile. 

The kids were still looking at him as if evaluating him, deciding whether or not he could be trusted.

"Are you going to beat us?" Peter finally asked 

Charles did not expect that question. His eyes instantly shot up at Erik who only shrugged. 

"No." Charles said firmly, looking back at Peter "No, I am not going to beat you. I am here to teach you." 

"How can you teach us without beating us?" Wanda asked too, her voice quiet but assured. 

Charles put his hands on each of their shoulders. "I assure you there are ways." he said with a comforting smile. 

He realized it'd take time for them to get used to him. Whatever the reason was, they did not trust easily. Charles did his best not to let his mind go in that direction but his guess was Lehnsherr was after all as scary to them as Charles first thought. This realization made Charles feel sick in the stomach. The man really was a brute!

Charles and the kids talked for a few more minutes before they could finally let go of their reservations and accept the idea of spending the larger part of their days with him. That was a small victory but Charles wanted to bask in it. 

"Why don't you get inside the class room and take a look at all the lovely pictures we have there?" he suggested to the kids with a smile. There was a short wordless conversation between them and their father as if asking for permission. Erik gave them a little nod and they were in the classroom in less then a second. 

Charles got up again, glaring at Lehnsherr. 

"What?" he finally noticed the strange look on Xavier's face.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Charles asked seriously 

"Bringing my kids to school. I thought that was the right thing to do." Lehnsherr replied 

"Since when do you have kids!?" Charles blurted out

"Since 10 years obviously." Erik said, his voice getting a little annoyed. 

"These kids haven't been to school before now?" it was more like a statement than an actual question "You kept them ignorant and unable to read and write until now!?" 

Lehnsherr's face got scary again. 

"How I raise my children is none of your business." he groaned "Your job is to teach them, schoolboy." 

Charles was glaring back at him just as sharply as Erik. This time that man was not going to scare him. This time Charles knew just how right he was. 

"Unless" Lehnsherr added "you refuse to teach the kids of a simple blacksmith."

"I never refuse to teach someone who wants and needs to be thought!" Charles said

"How noble!" Erik replied sarcastically 

"I will teach them!" Charles said "These kids deserve to feel the light of knowledge--"

"Spare me the speeches!" Erik interrupted him with a grimace "And don't you dare harm them! I will find out about it and I won't let you get away with it!”

"Of course I won't harm them!" Charles said, insulted by the suggestion “I’ll help them learn. I’m their teacher.”

Erik mumbled something Charles couldn’t quite catch and turned around, heading for his horse.

“Good day to you” he said as he got up on the fine animal with one swift movement which left Charles breathless. “I’ll come pick them up around 5.”

Charles nodded wordlessly, watching as Lehnsherr rode off. He then turned towards the school again, taking a deep breath - he had a lot to do for these kids. 


	5. School Days for the Lehnsherrs

Charles was right - he did have a lot of work ahead of him. Erik's children were indeed lovely, bright kids, but there were things that were making Charles feel concerned right from the start. Despite the impressive speed in which they grasped the new lessons and their excellent progress in their studies, both kids lacked a lot in social skills and simple things like playing with their classmates or just having fun. The strangest of all was that they did not really seem to be upset about it at all. It was as if they didn't want to participate in any form of entertainment. That puzzled Charles because most of the other kids he had to deal with welcomed all types of fun and games. While the other kids came to school for games and socializing mixed with some studying and knowledge that Charles had to manage to put in their heads, it seemed the two Lehnsherr kids came only to look unusually serious and withdrawn for their age and terribly focused on their studies. Not that Charles was complaining from kids that studied too much but... these kids just studied too much!

Charles knew himself a bit about studying too much. He had after all done that himself. As a kid he spent his days either studying and worrying about school or hiding in a corner of his parents' mansion with a book or a favourite toy. Those were the little joys of his childhood, the most happy memories of when he was a kid and he cherished them dearly.

However, he knew why those were his only joys he had then - it was his way of escaping reality. His way of dealing with it, his way of surviving. His way of protecting himself, his mind, his precious inner world from everything he had to deal with. He sincerely hoped these kids did not have problems similar to his. 

He couldn't just ask because they always avoided all non-school related questions from Charles, Moira and Hank as well as from their classmates. They were really guarded, uncharacteristically so for 10 year olds. He couldn't use his telepathy to quickly read their minds and find whatever he was interested in because his moral code dictated that this was a violation of people's privacy. All he could hope for was for the kids to feel safe enough to open up and share with him whatever was making them crave that sanctuary of their mind from reality. He sure hoped it wouldn't take too long for them to spill whatever was bothering them because the sooner he knew, the sooner he could do something about it.

He wasn't sure exactly how much involvement Erik Lehnsherr had in all of this. If Charles had to be honest, Lehnsherr was confusing him. Charles felt curiosity, some kind of strange pull to get to know the man better as if they could actually be friends if only they'd let themselves. There was something noble and good that Charles felt was hiding inside Erik, hidden behind a mask of rudeness and an I-don't-give-a-damn attitude. And yet the strange way the man acted, the things he said made Charles fear that in reality Erik might just be an asshole. 

Erik did save him though. And as Charles later discovered, it was not by accident. It turned out Lehsnherr saw Charles riding like crazy towards one of the most dangerous parts in the area - it was something Charles did not know but apparently these woods were a place where ruffians and thugs liked to gather. Erik then left his shop, straddled his horse and followed Charles towards the danger in case of an event. And luckily for Charles Erik did that because the man's help really did come in quite handy as we already know! 

These were not the actions of an asshole, Charles thought. But then there were the things Erik blurted out every time they talk... The condescending smirk, the harsh words about books, his general rudeness... as if he  _wanted_ people to not like him. As if he was trying to push them away. A realization hit Charles. Maybe Peter and Wanda were just mirroring what their father was doing. Erik worked most of the time, led a sheltered life, didn't seem to have many friends although he was respected in town, Charles knew that much. His kids were now studying most of the time, led a sheltered life, didn't seem to have many friends although the other kids in the class did respect how smart they were. It was definitely mirroring! Maybe the situation was much deeper than Charles originally thought. 

If Erik was in fact a brute who hurt his children, would Peter and Wanda look at him in the admiring way they did every time he showed up to take them home? If he was indeed the monster Charles thought him to be, would they speak so fondly of him and with such affection when he was away? Charles decided not to let a few confusingly messy conversations get in the way of his judgement. But he still needed to know why did all the Lehnsherrs assume Charles or anyone at the school would hurt Peter and Wanda in any way. 

Peter stayed after class one afternoon - it was customary for the Lehnsherr kids, they liked asking more questions about the lesson and taking notes. Charles loved this thirst for knowledge in Erik's children. It reminded him of what he was in this school for. It gave him purpose. 

He answered Peter's questions, explaining whatever was a bit too difficult for his age and then smiled. Peter smiled in return and Charles felt hope swelling in his chest. Maybe now was a good time to ask... 

"Peter... When we met, why did you ask me if I were going to beat you?" 

"Oh..." the boy looked down at his shoes and for a moment Charles thought this was just another fruitless attempt to unlock the backstory of these kids. 

But then Peter looked back up and came closer to Charles. 

"I don't like talking about this." he said "And neither does Wanda... and especially daddy! Don't ask daddy about this!" 

Charles nodded, trying to look reassuring. "Of course, whatever you say. But why is your daddy...?" 

Peter interrupted him. "It upsets him." he said 

It upsets Erik! And Peter and Wanda loved Erik and they didn't want to upset him! So that's why they weren't talking about this thing, whatever it was. So far it made sense.

"I see." Charles said carefully. "So you cannot talk to daddy about it because you don't want to upset him." Peter nodded "But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" 

Peter hesitated for a moment and Charles was so tempted to have a peak into his mind. 

"Wanda and I were in school once and we were kidnapped from there and taken to another place." Peter said in a small voice. He swallowed and blinked a lot as if trying to stop himself from crying. "They were-- cruel to us in that place. We barely had food, and there were these instruments and machinery that they tried on us. It was painful. I didn't know where Wanda was... or if she was okay... if they were doing the same things to her..." Charles felt tears forming in his eyes as he heard the child's story. At this moment Peter was the stronger person among them. "We were in that place for a year and a half. And then she came... we were rescued! We got back home. Daddy was so broken by then that we try not to talk about what happened in that place because it makes him so sad and angry." 

Charles felt his heart breaking. He expected to hear lots of things but nothing like what he actually heard! Charles could imagine the hardship the kids went through in that hell house they were trapped in for almost two years. But he did not need to imagine what Erik's been through during that time! His kids taken from him, no information as to where they were and what's happening to them... From what Charles knew, Erik was not a man to just give up. It didn't take much effort to imagine Erik doing his best to find his children, desperately struggling to fight this battle with an unknown enemy who took what meant the most to him. Charles definitely knew what that felt like. After all, Charles had lived the same nightmare with Raven. When she came to America as a guest to a family friend and then disappeared. She's been gone for 8 months now and Charles was already terrified. Now imagine a year and a half without knowing if your little children were alright and even alive. It was unimaginable! 

"Mr. Charles?" Peter was trying to attract his attention and Charles realized he was so lost in thought that for a long moment he did not respond at all. 

"I'm sorry, Peter. I was... I..." he stuttered.

Peter nodded knowingly. "You were imagining how bad it was for us all?" 

Charles nodded. "I'm sorry I made you talk about this, Peter." Charles said. He wished he had used his telepathy instead. Anything, just not to have this kid remember the horror he's seen and felt. 

"It's okay. You needed to know. And I guess I needed to get it out too." Peter said and he sounded so mature in that moment. "I've never told this to anyone who's not Wanda, my dad or Mystique." 

Charles furrowed his brow. "Mystique? What a strange name!" 

The child smiled fondly. "Mystique saved us! Captured by the same bad man who got Wanda and me. But Mystique rescued a whole bunch of us! We ran! Mystique was kind to us... took us home... and then disappeared." 

"So mysterious." Charles mirrored Peter's smile, feeling the warmth and love radiating from the boy for this strange unusual figure that was his hero. 

"That's why Wanda named her that." Peter laughed a little then bit his lip. "That and...  _one other reason._ " 

Charles asked no more questions. But instead he broke one of his rules - he used his telepathy to send waves of joy and relaxation towards the two kids. They smiled, not even knowing what he'd done to their mind but feeling relief, calmness, serenity. Charles saw their eyes starting to sparkle again, as little kids' eyes should. Yes, maybe his mutation was not a curse. Maybe he shouldn't always try to lock his telepathy away. Maybe it wasn't the evil force, the madness that his family told him it was when he was a kid. Maybe it could actually be a blessing. 

Charles wondered how to face Erik after his discovery. Should he say something? Should he offer help? Should he pretend he knew nothing and nothing's changed? 

When the moment came Erik arrived, nodded, took his kids and waved goodbye. And that was it. Charles had to admit he was a little disappointed. He was beginning to see qualities in Erik that he did not really dare believe the man possessed. And now Charles was no longer afraid to actually get to know Erik better. 


	6. A Proper Thank You and Good News

"I never got to thank you properly for saving my life that afternoon." Charles said

He had come to Erik's shop especially for that purpose, and picked a time right before Erik closed his shop so that no one would be around to bother them while talking. 

"You're teaching my children. I can see the improvement. That's all the thanks I need." Erik replied, his usual reserved exterior accompanying his every word, his every motion. 

"I knew you'd say that." Charles replied with a small smile. He was doing his best to make Erik feel comfortable around him and earn his trust. 

"Do you read minds?" Erik chuckled and Charles froze. 

Damn it! He wanted to befriend Erik, not for Erik to discover all his secrets! 

"Relax, it was only a joke." Lehnsherr said

Charles forced a laugh but it sounded fake and he cursed himself for being so stupid. 

"I brought you this gift to buy your forgiveness for the way I acted after you saved me." Charles said

Erik raised an eyebrow at the small box Charles offered. 

"Umm, no, thanks. People get jumpy after they've been almost killed. I understand." he replied "You don't owe me a present or anything." 

"But I insist." Charles pressed, shoving the cardboard box in the blacksmith's hands, wrapping his fingers around Erik's long ones and squeezing lightly as if to make sure he won't drop his gift. "Please." he said softly, looking up at Erik. 

Erik stared at him with furrowed brow for a moment and then nodded slightly. 

"Good!" Charles smiled brightly, letting Erik's hands go. 

"You know I'd do the same for anyone, right? You were no different." Erik said as he opened the little cardboard box "And no amount of ridiculous gifts from some British aristocrats can bear enough meaning for me to--" he cut himself off when his eyes fell on what was inside the small box. 

Charles smiled again. 

"H-how did you know...?" Erik whispered, his eyes fixed on the gift. 

"I read minds, remember?" Charles teased and surprised himself with the ease in which he said the words. Not a trace of nervousness or secret horror. 

"This may sound strange but... I've dreamed about this!" Erik said, taking the small wooden [talisman](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b4/99/b5/b499b5b771f8689de30342c80e15672f.jpg) out of the box. 

"Did you? Wow. I suppose it's a coincidence." Charles smiled 

"In my dream" Erik continued, looking at the talisman as if hypnotized by it, "this figure was protecting me. It made me feel calm and relaxed like I've never felt before." 

Charles nodded. "Well, maybe this one that I carved for you would give you the peace and serenity from your dream in reality too." he said 

Erik looked at him, his features softened by his emotions; emotions Charles felt so tempted to feel with his telepathy, but managed to stop himself once again. It was enough that the other day he unlocked the brightest memory in Erik's mind to find images of Erik's mother, his children and this symbol. Charles decided on the symbol as the best option for a gift and carved it out of wood. He hoped this present would really bring joy to the man. And it did, apparently. This made Charles happy too. 

"You made this for me?" Erik repeated, still having a hard time believing that anyone would bother

"Yes. I wanted to buy your forgiveness, remember?" Charles teased and Erik chuckled. "Well, did I? Buy your forgiveness?" 

Erik grinned, shaking his head. "No." he said "But you damn well earned it!" 

On his way home Charles felt light as a feather! He had a lovely talk with Erik during which he realized that the blacksmith was actually not as hard to talk to as Charles originally thought. In fact, Erik was pretty interesting and knowledgeable, he was intelligent and very passionate about his opinions. Besides his face was glowing so pleasantly when he saw Charles' gift for him. 

Charles was pleased to admit to himself that he's found a person he'd gladly call his friend in this town! It was about time he expanded his list of Moira, Hank and students. 

When he got home an unexpected visitor was waiting for him.

"Hank! I'm sorry, did you wait here long? I didn't expect you tonight."

Hank shook his head. "Only a couple of minutes. It's nothing really." he said "I came to bring you these."

Hank handed him a few papers. 

"They're ideas for the school curriculum." 

"Oh, yes! You said you'd bring those one of these days." Charles smiled. He couldn't help himself really - he was smiling all evening for some reason. "Wanna come in?" he offered 

Hank shook his head. "No. It's late, I should be going home." he looked at him closely "Are you alright?" 

"Of course I am!" Charles replied, still smiling

"You just seem... odd and flushed." 

Charles shrugged. "No idea what you mean. I feel fine." he reassured him 

"I didn't say it was a bad odd..." Hank muttered but then jumped "Oh! I almost forgot. This letter came for you today right after you left. It seemed important - good stationary and all." 

Charles took the letter and his face lit up when he saw whom it was from. 

"Just don't run into the woods again. Moira warned me about you and letters." Hank made an attempt to joke

"I won't! But this is rather important!" Charles beamed 

"Well, good evening then." Hank smiled

"Good evening, Hank! And thanks again!" Charles grinned once more and got home hurriedly to open his letter.

Just as he was expecting the letter was important! It was from Sebastian Shaw. 

Sebastian Shaw who was a family friend. Sebastian Shaw who used to visit Charles' step-father a lot and who offered Raven should go with him to America. Sebastian Shaw who told all those exciting stories that got Raven so hooked on making this trip in the first place. Sebastian Shaw who later sent a distressed letter to the Xaviers informing them that Raven did not arrive when she was supposed to. Sebastian Shaw who blamed himself for the mysterious way in which Raven suddenly disappeared. Sebastian Shaw who wrote to Charles, offering him whatever help he could in order to find Raven. That Sebastian Shaw was writing to Charles now, informing him that he was passing by Carlton and had the intention to visit him if it wasn't inconvenient. 

Of course it wasn't inconvenient, Charles thought. This was good news. Sebastian was pretty influential in this country. If anyone was going to help Charles find Raven faster, it was definitely Sebastian Shaw. And the fact that he was coming to Carlton proved that he was actually serious about helping Charles find his sister. Or even better, maybe he already had some news! Maybe his people had discovered something about what happened to Raven! Maybe this letter was a good omen. Maybe now finally Raven will be saved! 

Charles smiled some more. Oh, yes! It was a good day indeed!


	7. The Dance

Charles Xavier had no time to waste. Now more than ever he had to concentrate on finding his sister. It's been too long already. He's conducted more of his own fruitless searches, he still had people looking for her all over the country and yet it's been more than half a year without any information about her. It was troubling, to say the least, and no matter how hard Charles tried to push the negative thoughts to the back of his mind they stubbornly kept reemerging and haunting him. Sebastian Shaw's arrival in a week was the only good news that Charles could hope for in his attempts to find Raven. 

In the meantime, Charles was working now harder than ever just to keep his mind occupied and feel less useless. Therefore, Charles Xavier definitely had no time to waste. And yet he was being forced to attend a stupid dance at the Town Hall.

"This is ridiculous, Hank. Why must I go too?" he pleaded one last time 

"It's good publicity for the school. We may convince a few more people to send their kids to study instead of keeping them at home working." Hank said and of course it made sense. It was actual campaigning to get people to send their children to school. But there was this one huge setback.

"But they don't like me, Hank." Charles said

"Nonsense." Hank waved it off

"You know perfectly well they don't like me." Charles crossed his hands on his chest.

"People didn't like their meat cooked at first but look at us now."

"Wow! That's inspirational." Charles said sarcastically

Hank chuckled and tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, my friend. We need to do this." he said and Charles surrendered. "You might even get to enjoy yourself a little."

Charles rolled his eyes, perfectly aware that enjoying himself - especially on some stupid party - was hardly possible. Still they were at the Town Hall by sunset. 

Charles had to force himself to smile. Being polite was in his nature, he never wanted to offend or insult people. However he also was getting bored. He couldn't really see the point in social events like this. Even if he was on his 'secret mission' to convince more people of the importance of schools, it was all useless when he knew all his efforts were in vain. 

And yet here he was now, trying to fit in, trying to be sociable and trying to look as if he was actually enjoying this when in fact all he did was doing his best to ignore the looks the town folks were giving him and shield himself, lock his telepathy from overhearing their thoughts. He didn't really need  _that_ to know what they were thinking. It was rather obvious. He wouldn't want to be here even if he weren't constantly worried about Raven. 

Music was echoing in the hall, couples were dancing on the dance floor, joyful and in high spirits; old ladies gossiping, old gentleman drinking and _discussing_ (which was their way of gossiping); the whole place was vibrating with excitement and entertainment that Charles felt so foreign to. The musicians were too loud and the table with the food was too far away from Charles to reach it in all this crowd. 

Hank had disappeared from Charles' sight, Moira was busy dancing - a good publicity for the school, no doubt - and all the other conversations Charles had were centered around questions about his past which he found most unsettling. 

Finally his eyes captured a familiar figure, walking among the masses, making his way determinedly through the endless cluster of people in the stuffy hall.

"Mr. Lehnsherr!" Charles whispered to himself, unable to help the smile on his face at the sight of the one man he knew would not bore him! Whatever their misunderstandings were, Charles felt a happy flutter in his stomach at the sight of the blacksmith. This surprised him but he decided not to dwell on the reasons. 

However Mr. Lehnsherr did not seem to notice Charles at all. Charles had a decision to make - he could either make a fool of himself and start waving at Lehnsherr to attract his attention, or he could wait for Lehnsherr to notice him on his own and die of boredom until and _if_ that happens. Charles decided it was better to look like a fool than to actually be one so he smiled and waved at Mr. Lehnsherr, making a few steps in the blacksmith's direction.

A pair of grumpy eyes glared back at Charles before Erik's gaze softened a bit. He approached too so they managed to cross the distance and finally be face to face.

"Mr. Lehnsherr! What a surprise to see you here!"

Lehnsherr's face immediately fell again. "You don't want a blacksmith in here, Mr. Xavier?"

"What? No!" Charles protested "No, no, not at all! It's a happy surprise. I'm actually pleased to see you here... That is... I was hoping for a more entertaining company..."

"You were bored at a dance?" Erik raised an eyebrow

Charles felt he was blushing. "Not necessarily just..." he mumbled "I don't dance much and I don't like all the noise around." he explained "One cannot find proper company here, no pleasant conversations or--"

"So you got bored, kid. It's unusual but I can relate and understand." Erik chuckled

"I'm not a kid!" Charles finally snapped at the remark that was frustrating him so much earlier.

"Whatever you say, kid."

"I am your children's teacher! I trust you realize that this teacher is no kid!" he looked at Erik with a frown. 

Erik's eyes slid up and down Charles' body, as if examining him. Charles felt his palms getting sweaty and his heart beating faster as Erik did that. Why this strange reaction?

"Perhaps you have a point." Erik finally gave up

"And you yourself aren't old enough to call me a kid!" Charles pressed

Erik arched an eyebrow. "Do you even know how old I am?"

"Well... no" Charles had no official way of knowing and he couldn't tell Lehnsherr about his telepathy hence the no. 

"I'm 34" he said "And judging by your looks, you're probably 10"

"25!" Charles corrected.

"As I said - a kid." 

The last words were uttered with such warm familiarity that Charles realized Erik was only teasing. He smiled as well and bit his lip. 

"So do you enjoy the dance?" He asked, looking up at Erik a little sheepishly

"I'm only here out of obligation." Erik replied earnestly. "I never enjoy these dances." 

"Oh. I know why _I_ don't like them - I'm a book worm, as you repeatedly stated yourself." Charles chuckled "But what is your excuse?" 

"I'm a grumpy blacksmith." Erik replied and after a small pause the two burst into joyful laughter. 

Charles spent the rest of the evening, glued to Erik and before they knew it they were out on the terrace, away from the commotion of the celebrations. 

"How's the school?" Erik asked and he sounded genuinely interested

Charles sighed, drinking some more from his cup of punch. "You know... Not that well." he said "I mean, the kids are amazing. Your kids are amazing and the others... We're studying well so you don't have to be worried about that. Your children are in safe hands... " he sighed, his head feeling heavy "But we still have astonishingly small number of pupils." 

"This really is worrying you." Erik noted, looking closely at Charles

Charles looked up, their eyes locked. "Yes" he said softly, nodding. "It is worrying me. I came here to do things... Someone needed me here. And I'm failing them." he bit his lip, looking down at his hands so that Erik doesn't notice the wetness in his eyes. "I can't fail these children too. Not when I can teach them, when I can show them so much when they have so little. If only the majority of the parents realize that education is important and helpful and could actually make someone's life better..." 

Erik's hand rested on Charles' for a moment before he pulled it away abruptly. "They'll come around." he said, gulping what remained of his punch.

Charles looked up at him as he braced himself on the veranda. "You really think so?" he asked 

Erik smiled warmly at the hope in Charles' eyes and voice. "Yes." he nodded "I do. You know how it is, right? Once something's in fashion, everybody wants to do it. All you have to do is make sure sending your kids to school is fashionable." 

It was probably meant as a joke but Charles' eyebrows shot up. "That's actually an amazing idea!" he exclaimed and Erik laughed fondly 

"I am surprisingly clever for a mere blacksmith." he teased 

"Why do you keep insisting that I have a problem with you being a blacksmith?" Charles shook his head with mock exasperation. "I never meant to suggest you weren't intelligent or anything." 

"You practically called me an idiot." Erik's whole face was beaming and they were both enjoying the conversation... this banter... immensely. 

 _I'm enjoying it a bit more than I should, maybe_ , Charles thought. 

"You're taking my words out of context!" Charles insisted again

"You keep saying that but those  _were_ your words!" Erik grinned back

"I'm pretty sure I never said  _idiot"_ Charles replied, chuckling 

They were only a few inches away from one another and Charles could feel Erik's warm breath on his face. The feeling was...  _mesmerizing._ Charles wanted... oh, how he  _wanted..._

"Oh, there you are, Charles!" Moira startled them by suddenly appearing on the terrace out of nowhere. 

Erik took a step away from Charles and Charles became painfully aware of the loss.

He cleared his throat and smiled at Moira.

"Miss McTaggart." he said politely "Yes, I was here the whole time. I didn't abandon you."

"You're not dancing either though!" she said, her cheeks rosy from all the punch and dancing "Come! Come!"

"I'm really not much of a dancer..." Charles muttered. He also really didn't want to leave the terrace right now. Not when it felt so good to be close to Erik - emotionally and... physically. He swallowed again and licked his lips. "I'll be of no help for you there. I'll just embarrass the school with my clumsiness."  

She crossed the distance between them, her dress floating gracefully around her as she did, and grabbed both his hands "Come on! At least dance with me." she smiled at him

Erik was standing there at a safe distance, giving them privacy and yet not leaving. Charles glanced at him quickly as if trying to explain that he'd rather stay with him, or maybe he was simply hoping for Erik to save him - to swoop in and gently push Moira away, if that were even possible for a gentleman to do, and tell her that Charles is with him now and there's no place for any ladies or anyone at all, that it was just the two of them. 

Or maybe Charles had a bit too much punch to drink... 

Erik did nothing so Charles let out a loud sigh and looked back at Moira, chuckling. "Why of course. Just with you though and only because you're special." 

She made a few joyful noises and headed towards the door. 

Charles turned towards Erik again. "I guess I should..." he uttered 

"Yes." Erik nodded with a soft smile. His eyes were looking strangely at Charles, they felt so warm and pleasant and fond and for a moment Charles could sense Erik's disappointment at the interruption too. Was it his telepathy slipping or his imagination, he could not tell. _But, oh, how he wished the vibrations he was feeling right now were in fact coming from Erik!_


	8. The Wind of Change

Charles was trying to rush through the dancing but it still felt like eternity. He was distracted, his eyes constantly searching for Erik in the crowd. He even stumbled a few times, causing Moira to blush in embarrassment. 

"In my defense, I did warn you." he smiled at her after the dance. 

"You said you were bad, I didn't think you were  _that_ bad." she rolled her eyes, still looking at him amused 

"I blame the punch!" he insisted jokingly. 

He was still trying to find Erik's face among the crowd of people in the Town Hall but unfortunately the blacksmith was nowhere to be seen. 

Charles frowned, pursing his lips. 

"Is everything alright, Charles?" Moira asked, gently taking his hand 

Charles pulled away instinctively. "Umm, yes." he nodded. "Yes, Moira, everything's fine. I'm just tired... all these people..." none of them Erik "... the noise..." none of it the sound of Erik's voice "... it's too crowded. I need some..." Erik "... air." he said and walked past her "Excuse me." 

Moira was left standing confused for a few seconds until another partner showed up to ask her to dance. She then gave him her brightest smile and let him lead her to the dance floor. She came here to enjoy herself and that was what she would do, with or without Charles Xavier. 

Charles was struggling to get through the crowd, elbowing a few people and muttering 'I'm sorries' on his way until he finally reached his destination.

"Erik! I've been looking everywhere for you..." Charles beamed when he finally found him near the exit. His face fell "Are you... are you leaving?"

Erik looked at him with an apologetic smile. 

"Yes. I am leaving." he shook his head "It's not my thing, I told you that."

Charles couldn't help frowning. "Oh... of course." 

Erik smiled some more. "You don't have to pout about it." he said, teasingly

"I'm not pouting!" Charles protested but he was not quite sure he didn't just pout some more

Erik leaned in and in the haze that was Charles' mind right now, he was sure he could feel Erik's scent and that felt intoxicating for some reason. He closed his eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath as Erik spoke. 

"About what people think of you in this town..." Erik said. "They say you come from this big important posh family of aristocrats in England who look down on everyone who's less than a count. They think you're a snob and you won't mingle with the common folk for anything other than teaching them how to live their lives." 

"Oh..." Charles let out his breath. This was the least sensual thing Charles could imagine and yet coming from Erik it made him feel strange tingly vibrations in his body. It was so strange. He should not drink from that stupid punch ever again! 

"I don't think that's true though." Erik continued "But then again, I believe I now know you better, than most the people here." 

Charles nodded, big blue eyes fixed on Erik's. 

Erik swallowed and looked away, clearing his throat. 

"Maybe you could try befriending the town's people before you start insisting on education." he said, taking a step away from Charles. "It might be helpful to understand people first before you try to convince them to change." 

Charles was unable to reply at the moment but he could see the logic behind Erik's words. He nodded. 

"Thank you for tonight, Mr. Xavier." Erik said, shaking Charles' hand "Thanks to you this silly thing became a little more bearable." 

Charles smiled sheepishly, his cheeks felt so warm. His hand was still in Erik's and for a moment everything else around him disappeared. 

"Yeah, you're umm... you're welcome..." he muttered 

Charles' fingers wrapped tightly around Erik's hand as if refusing to let go of it but then eventually he had to. This was ridiculous. Charles was acting ridiculous. Why was he feeling so tingly and strange? He didn't want to let Erik go, he didn't! Damn you, punch! 

Erik gave a nod and left. Charles lost him in the crowd. 

He must've stayed there for a while because suddenly a hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his trance-like condition. 

"Moira!" he exclaimed "I really can't dance again..." he said guiltily

"It's alright. After the last dance, I'm not asking." she joked "You may need more air again though, your face is all flushed." 

"Is it?" he asked, fidgeting. 

"Yes. You're either suffocating in the crowd or you're really blushing a  _lot!"_ she seemed so cheerful that it got to Charles too and he grinned.

"I'll go get some water - no more punch for me tonight!" he chuckled "And then... Moira, why don't you introduce me to the people around? Again? I actually want to know them better without discussing the new school all the time." 

Her face beamed "Oh, Charles! That's a marvelous idea! Yes! Yes, of course!" 

She took him by the hand and this time he socialized for real. Surprisingly, it wasn't half as bad as he had expected. 

Over the next days Charles tried the new strategy Erik had suggested. He actually had conversations with the town's people, he understood better their outlook on life and realized what changes had to be done in order to make them see how education was important for their lives, to make them see the practical application.

And finally he felt they actually accepted him, properly accepted him, in their town. It felt surprisingly rewarding to know that he got through to them. And as a result the school became more crowded with people who wanted to learn. What better reward than that for a teacher? 

The only thing he dared ask for now was to have Raven back. 


	9. My Dear Raven

Charles woke up feeling excited and anxious at the same time. It was the day when Mr. Sebastian Shaw was going to arrive and bring more hope. At this point, after months of fruitless searching, Charles realized he needed more help to find his sister. And Sebastian Shaw might just be the person to offer that help. 

 

_Raven was laughing cheerfully, teasing everyone around her, joking like she always did. Charles was never as open as she was, but he had always loved this quality about her; this certain thing in her personality that made her seem like a sunbeam or a thunder depending on her mood. Whatever it was, Raven was a force and Charles felt happier, safer and stronger with her around._

_And yet he knew well she was not to stay grounded to one place forever. She wasn't Charles; she needed the change._

_"America is a land of adventure!" Mr. Shaw said at dinner that evening._

_"Tell us more!" Raven exclaimed, holding her fork tightly but not really eating "You keep saying that but you never describe an adventure!"_

_"Raven, Mr. Shaw is romanticizing the place too much." Sharon Xavier said. The only time she actually spoke much to her children these years was when they had guests. Charles knew that but tried to ignore it as much as he could for it was not a nice feeling to slowly lose the connection you once had with your mother._

_Raven frowned. "Oh, really, Mr. Shaw, that's not nice at all!" she pouted "Tell her it's not true and you really had adventures in America."_

_Shaw smiled that strange smile he had. It was charming and at the same time it made Charles feel uneasy in an unpleasant way. He chose to ignore this too._

_"Well," the man said, putting his cutlery down, "I helped saving an Indian village once. It was very gratifying to save those people from their burning homes and take them to a new place_ _where they can be safe and actually have a future."_

_Kurt Marco gave a chuckle that Charles had learned to fear._

_"My friend Shaw is so noble." their step-father said_

_"I'm only doing what any person in my shoes would do." Shaw smiled._

_Charles never really trusted Shaw or any of Kurt's friends; nor his mother's friends for that matter. He was sure one peak inside Shaw's mind would show him that the man was a liar and up to no good. But over the years at the Xavier household Charles had learned that his mutation was an abomination, that he was disgusting and every time he used his power it was turning him evil. That's what they've been telling him ever since he was a young boy, still not able to control his mutation, not even knowing what was happening to him. No one explained, they just condemned._

_So_ _Charles preferred to be silent most of the time, especially during dinners and guest parties. He also learned to block his mutation as much as possible, even if it was hurting him to do so._

_Anyway, he preferred hiding in a corner with a book. But Raven... oh, Raven was different. Raven loved having people around!_

_"Charles, stop hiding and come out!" she insisted, pulling him by the hand "What are you reading now anyway?"_

_"Karl May?" Charles held up the book so that she'd see the cover._

_"Adventures!" Raven grinned, sitting down next to him on the floor, her dress spreading around her gracefully."You read about these adventures but you don't want to experience them?"_

_Charles rolled his eyes amused. "Adventures like that only exist in fiction, Raven."_

_"Only if you let them be nothing but fiction." she insisted, her eyes beaming at him "Don't you want to help people? Don't you want to fight for what you believe in? To be honourable and brave and change lives for the better? To right the wrongs?"_

_"Of course I do, Raven." Charles replied calmly "And I'm helping as much as I can. Not everything has to be so dramatic, you know. I help a few families in the district, it's not much but it is something and it's important to them and for me."_

_"Pfft! That's boring!"_

_"It's domestic."_

_"Imagine running on top of a train, shooting at wrong-doers, helping the people they've wronged and avenging their victims! Now **that's**_ _real adventure!" her eyes were sparkling "That's what I'm talking about."_

_Charles was looking at her with a fond smile. "You've always been so adventurous and imaginative."  he said. "So... wild!" he grinned_

_She grinned back at him. "And nothing's gonna tame me, big brother!"_

_"I hope not." he took her hand in his_

_She fell silent._

_Charles_ _frowned. "What's wrong?"_

_She took in a deep breath and spoke, not really looking at him at first. "Mr. Shaw offered to take me with him to America, Charles."_

_Charles chuckled. "Well, that was stupid of him."_

_Raven looked up at him, a little unsure. Charles froze._

_"You can't be serious... You can't really be considering this." he said_

_"I need to go, Charles." she said_

_"But..."_

_"Kurt agrees." she added quickly. "He said he'd let me go."_

_Charles rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised."_

_"Yes, I know, neither am I. It's a way for him to get rid of me."_

_"But Raven, you can't just leave..." he said and then quietly " **Please...** " _

_"The only thing that's keeping me here is you, Charles." she confessed "And I just don't want to be here anymore. This life is not for me. It's not me."_

_"We can think of something..."_

_"Like what?" she rolled her eyes, sitting up straight "Kurt can't wait to get rid of me, of you as well. I'm at that age when he's going to start looking for suitors. I don't want to go from one prison to another. I want my freedom."_

_"What makes you think your freedom is in America?" he asked, trying to hide how broken he was at the mere prospect of losing his only friend - his sister._

_"Nothing." she replied earnestly "But it's a start. And it's what I feel I should do."_

_"I don't trust Shaw." he said, frowning_

_"Read his mind then." she said_

_"No, you know I can't do that."_

_"It's not about trusting Shaw or not." she said "We both know I can take good care of myself. And what ulterior motive could he possibly have? I bet Kurt just asked him so that I'm out of his hair."_

_Silence._

_"You could... come with me, you know." she suggested._

_Charles let out a bitter smile. "What, me? No." he shook his head. "It's too much adventure for me. I'm a quiet, boring person, Raven. I'm nothing like you. I'm not very good with change."_

_She nodded. "I understand." After a small pause she added "Don't be mad at me for needing to go."_

_"Don't be ridiculous, Raven." he squeezed her hand gently "I want you to be happy. I don't understand why you need to go there to chase that happiness, but I don't want to get in your way."_

_The two siblings hugged one another tightly. Each other was all they had in this horrid house, in this cruel world; no distance could weaken their special bond._

_Charles truly hoped Raven was going to be happy in America. They both really thought she found her path and her way out of the Xavier mansion, away from the brute Kurt Marco and his equally brutal son, away from a mother that only cared when people were watching, away from feeling hopeless and helpless. The day when he had to wave Raven goodbye was both bitter but also filled with the hope of a new, better beginning for her. Little did any of them know at the time that soon they'd receive a letter from Mr. Shaw, informing them that Raven never really got to his home at all. All they knew was that Raven reached the States alive but nothing more._ _This day was imprinted in Charles' memory as if with hot iron - painful and forever._

_Charles knew very well that Raven would've warned him if disappearing was her initial plan. So she was taken forcefully and he had to find her!_

And now Charles was waiting to greet the man who started it all - Kurt Marko's old friend, the person who gave Raven the idea and the opportunity to go through with that idea, the guy who always used to creep Charles out whenever he visited them - Sebastian Shaw. Mr. Shaw was also the man who might be bringing more information about Raven now and whose influence and connections could speed up the process of finding her. Charles tried to put aside all his childhood resentment for Shaw - it was probably just a young boy's imagination - and instead look at Shaw from a new light as a well-wisher who was going to help them. 


	10. Guess Who's Coming to Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was beta'd by the lovely Unknown_Doctor_1 :)

When Sebastian Shaw got out of the carriage that brought him to Carlton he looked not a day older than what Charles remembered. Only now he was wearing a ridiculously huge hat but apparently it didn't matter if you looked like a total idiot if you were rich. Charles suppressed an eye roll and once again reminded himself why was he doing this now. 

"Charles!" the man greeted with the same smile that always made Charles feel so uneasy for no apparent reason. 

"Mr. Shaw, so good to see you again, sir." Charles smiled politely, shaking the man's hand.

"Sebastian, please." he said, chuckling. "Call me Sebastian. I'm not  _that_ much older than you." 

Charles smiled awkwardly. Mr. Shaw was at least 20 years older than him but that was a detail Charles was not going to get into right now. 

"Of course, Sebastian." he said instead. "I'm glad you're here because I really hoped we could finally talk about--" 

"Such a lovely town!" Mr. Shaw interrupted him "I understand why you like living here, Charles. Who would've imagined, huh? Kurt Marko's boy teaching in a small American village." 

Charles tried not to take offense at being called  _Kurt Marko's boy._

"I do indeed like it here, sir-- I mean, Sebastian." he amended when he noticed Shaw's face at being called sir again "And it may seem a little forward of me but I really need to talk to you about--" 

"Where do you live, Charles? Hmm?" Sebastian wrapped an arm around Charles' shoulders and walked with him with no particular direction. 

"I-- I have a little place not far from the school" Charles replied hastily. Must they really do this small talk now? Charles was kind of in a rush here. "But I must insist we talk about..." 

"The school! Good!"

"Raven!" Charles said firmly, interrupting Shaw.

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh." was all Shaw said

Charles took in a deep breath to calm himself. Shaw's reaction at the mention of Raven spoke books to him. Shaw wasn't here because he had some information about Charles' sister. He had no news to bring that were better told in person. He did not even seem much interested in discussing Raven at all. That was a huge disappointment. 

"Yes. Raven." Charles said, pursing his lips "To be honest, Mr. Shaw, I thought you wrote me with the specific reason to bring me more news of her." 

"I'm sorry, Charles." the man said, assuming a sad, compassionate expression on his face. "I know this is a difficult topic for you. That is why I was trying to avoid it." 

Charles was listening, hoping his face wasn't showing all the emotions that were going through his heart. Hopeful expectations, piling up for days while he was waiting for what Shaw would tell him about Raven, were shattered in just this one moment. 

"I wish I had news for you, Charles, I really do. But I don't." Mr. Shaw said, his hand resting on just one of Charles' shoulders now - still a tad too familiar gesture than Charles would feel comfortable with. 

"Could you at least explain to me more than you did half a year ago?" Charles pleaded "I really welcome anything new that you might remember about the day my sister went missing. Anything at all! Even if it's just some very small detail..." 

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Charles. But no." 

Charles tried not to cry. He bit his lip, clenched his fists, blinked rapidly in hope to be able to control himself. 

Shaw leaned in closer to him. "Not here, Charles." he whispered in his ear "People will see the teacher cry." 

Charles wanted to scream but Shaw had a point. He didn't want to embarrass himself or bring the wrong kind of attention to the school. He didn't want people prodding in his pain. Shaw, including, but apparently it was too late to hide from him - the man had noticed his discomfort already. 

"My home is that way..." Charles said, leading the way, Shaw following close by.  

 

"There's really no news?" Charles asked, tilting his head a bit to the side when Shaw and him were sitting at the table at the younger man’s small home, a cup of tea and cake in front of them. 

"Um, sorry. Nothing new." The older one said, shrugging his shoulders to underline his statement. Glancing at the tea and cake as if wondering why it wasn’t whiskey. "I really came here just to see how you were doing, if you needed any help. Honestly, I thought you gave up on looking for Miss Raven." 

Blue eyes went wide. "You thought I gave up?" he repeated, not believing his ears. "How could I possibly give up? She's  _my sister!_ I  _love her!_ I can't just  _give up!_ I need to find her! And I will! I will find her! I can find her!" Charles growled angrily, amazed about himself for his sudden outburst.

Shaw held up his hands in mock surrender and grinned slightly to give Charles reassurance. "Alright, alright. I get it, you'll find her."

"She can take care of herself, she's still alive. I just need to find where she is, that's all." Charles mumbled more to himself than to Mr. Shaw, after he calmed down lightly.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Shaw bobbed his head, thoughtfully. "So do  _you_ have any news about your sister? Any other ideas where she might be now?" 

The brunette tilted his head at him for a moment, a little puzzled. Why was he asking if he thought the search was useless? Some strange alarms were ringing in Charles' mind, warning him of the man in front of him. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"I--" he stuttered a bit, confused with the feeling in his gut. "I do not have um..." he frowned. What _was_ wrong? "... any information. Nothing new. It's like she's just vanished into thin air." 

Shaw nodded his head, still showing the same expression of fake compassion on his face! The younger men’s breathing was picking up as if he sensed danger, his heart bumping harder in his chest. Why was he feeling like that?

"So you know nothing about what happened to her. That's a shame." Shaw said. "But you're smart, Charles, if she's there, you'll find her."

Charles nodded. "I will indeed..." he said, starting to feel suspicious. His fingers slowly reached up to rest on his temple. 

He never does that! He never uses his powers on other people. Never! And yet something made him want to have the quick peak he always denied himself before. It was only for his own protection, he calmly thought to himself, and for Raven. Only to check if Shaw wasn't lying about her. 

He tried to enter Shaw's mind. He  _couldn't._

It was like he got stopped in front of a tall wall, unable to reach the other side. It pushed his mind right off of it. 

Charles' face fell, his breath hitched in his throat, the feeling of wariness built up and his eyes were going into slits.

"Why did you really come here, Mr. Shaw?" he tilted his head in slight skepticism, not trusting any word which was coming out of Shaw's mouth.

"I already told you." The older man shrugged and grinned, still showing a fake mask of politeness. "Do you not believe me, Charles?"

"Why did you come here, Mr. Shaw?" Charles repeated with a shaking voice. Sweat appeared on his temples, slowly searching a path downwards.

He couldn't read the older man’s mind! His eyes were going wide. Charles' mutation was powerless on Shaw! Just like it was on Alston. It was the same barrier that prevented Charles reading the mind of his attacker that day!  

Shaw shook his head with a devilish grin, chuckling amused at the younger brunette. "Always so curious, always asking questions."

Charles quickly sprang up from his chair but before he knew it the older man drew out a hidden gun from his sleeve. Blue eyes were big like platters when saw the bullet hit his shoulder; the pain was unbelievable, his flesh was burning, muscles were ripping apart. A hurting shriek escaped his mouth, his eyes closed in pain for a few seconds. He felt salt in his mouth when the tears rolled down in his open mouth. He got blown back by the force and hit the bookshelf, books falling down from it and hit the ground beside him, as he realized he was shot and bleeding.

Charles looked up in pain and fear. Shaw was giving him a sly smile as he approached him, getting closer second by second. The mutant understood now, the older man wanted him alive. He would've killed him otherwise.

His wound was pounding nastily, hurting him more and more, he saw dots of white in his visual field. He tried to concentrate, taking all of his strength to focus on the situation at hand. With his good hand he grabbed a nearby laying heavy tome of Introduction to Biology at and threw it at Sebastian. Hitting the man square in his face, he heard the hiss when he already was running out of the room. Curses were shouted when Charles was out of the house, cradling his wounded shoulder.


	11. Help!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter too was beta'd by Unknown_Doctor_1. I swear I'm 99% sure she uses telepathy to see my vision of the story the way it is in my mind and then edit the chapters in a way that it'd all come to life!

Getting down the stairs in a hurry with a bleeding gun wound on your shoulder was not an easy task at all. The brunette stumbled with a painful groan and almost fell a few times but he did not give up, he couldn't give up. Too much was at stake. The pain was unbearable, making him lose consciousness but he persevered. His legs were taking him to the only place he knew he would feel safe - Erik's shop. Only Erik could provide the right amount of comforting and safety that Charles needed right now. Not to mention that he instinctively felt that Erik would know what to do with gun wounds. 

He was stumbling all the way, his good hand grasping his shoulder tightly, trying to stop the blood with a handkerchief. This, of course, was useless, but Charles' brain wasn't thinking very well right now. The blood turned the cloth red and did the same even to his shirt, but luckily it was already in a darker colour, so the blood didn‘t show.

All Charles wanted was to get to Erik before the pain makes him faint.

Luckily he managed to hide the blood to avoid drawing attention to himself on the street. He didn't want them to give Sebastian Shaw further directions as to where he was headed. Now most of the passers-by probably thought he was drunk.

He looked up and an almost happy sigh escaped his lips. Finally the blacksmith's shop! Charles felt relief as he swung the door open with a loud bang and hang himself on it for a moment, gazing at Erik with blurry eyes.

"Why are you here?" Erik growled angrily. He seemed grumpy and pissed, almost like he had woken up on the wrong site of his bed, the young teacher‘s mind faintly registered, but he couldn't really think about that right now.

"Help..." Charles breathed out, panting and holding his shoulder with a painful shudder, shutting the door close with whatever strength he had left.

Erik was still concentrating on rearranging the horseshoes on his counter, not even glancing at Charles.

"I saw you and your friend this morning." the blacksmith said, his voice sounded distant, bitter, biting and hurt "I'm pretty sure _he_ could be of better help to you than me." The older one spat, trying not to look towards the younger man.

"What the hell are you talking about? Just help me!" Charles whined, tears escaping his eyes, making them blood shot.

He was feeling faint and weak, his legs gave nearly up to carry his weight, obviously caused by the loss of blood. Slowly the blue-eyed man slid down the wall, sitting on the floor to pant and rest there for a moment. His hand clawing around his wound, where blood still was oozing out of it.

Finally Erik turned his head to Charles with a frown, but when he looked at the younger one his face paled. "Charles! What's wrong with you?"

The blacksmith let the horseshoes slip out of his hands and thump on the floor. He rushed to Charles, falling on his knees to examine him. 

"My sh-shoulder..." Charles mouthed and his face twisted in pain as the blacksmith slowly removed Charles' hand from the wound. 

"You've been shot!" Lehnsherr gasped with wide eyes.

He removed Charles' jacket and tore his shirt to bare the teacher's shoulder so he could properly examine the wound. The blood flow hadn‘t stopped and it got everywhere so Erik quickly brought water and towels, beginning to clean it while Charles was slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Hold on, Charles! Just stay with me, alright?" he could hear Erik's soothing voice from a distance as if listening to him through cotton in his ears. 

His mouth was dry, his tongue glued on the ceiling of his mouth. He couldn't feel anything around him - only blurred light and the reassuring feeling of Erik's presence. He tried to smile, it was a very gentle smile. Yes, everything was better with him around. 

"Raven..." Charles mumbled "If I die... you gotta find Raven... Shaw's after us both..." 

"You're not dying, kid!" Erik's voice sounded determined and Charles had to open his eyes to look at him one more time. 

And then something very strange happened. Charles wasn't quite sure if it was his imagination or reality but the older man held his hand over where the younger one was shot and he felt the bullet _move on its own inside him_. He gasped in pain, clenching his teeth together to hold in a cry of ache.

 

 

"It'll be alright. Everything will be alright." Erik muttered, face twisted in concentration, careful not to hurt Charles as he somehow maneuvered the bullet out of the teacher's body and onto his hand.

Charles could've sworn it was Erik who made the bullet come out of him on its own. It was remarkable! It was amazing! Charles would've been speechless if the pain hadn't made him curse a few times. The rest was an even bigger blur. All Charles knew was that his wound was taken care of and he was surrounded by the freshness of clean sheets when he rested his head on a pillow. When and how he even got in bed at all he had no idea. 

 

Charles slowly returned to consciousness. He frowned. His shoulder was hurting him, why? Oh, yes, Sebastian Shaw shot him. He opened his eyes just enough to see that he was shirtless and his shoulder was wrapped in bandages. He didn't want to move, his eyes were heavy and all he wanted was to sleep again. But at the same time he had way too many questions in his head to let himself drift again. 

He forced his eyes open again and found himself in a small but clean and tidy room. The light was dim and there was not much furniture there - only the bed, a desk, a chair and a wardrobe. There was also a nightstand with a full glass of water and a bowl of fruits. Charles closed his eyes for another moment to let them rest once again and then reopened them to explore the room further. On the chair there was a figure of a sleeping man. When Charles looked more carefully he realized the sleeping man was Erik Lehnsherr! The blacksmith was napping in a rather uncomfortable position on a hard wooden chair and Charles supposed the man was waiting for him to wake up.

The teacher tried to sit up a bit without straining his wounded shoulder. Sharp pain pierced through his shoulder again, making him flinch but he bit back a cry and cleared his throat instead. "Eh-hum" 

Erik sprang up from the chair instantly, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. 

"Mr. Xavier! You're awake..." Lehnsherr said and there was such relief in his voice, Charles felt he could melt. 

Vague memories of Erik using his first name struggled to surface in his mind but Charles decided to leave that for later. Although he had no idea what caused Erik to suddenly go back to  _Mr. Xavier_ again, they were on first name basis since the Town Hall dance after all. They were friends. Charles will definitely get to the bottom of this later on. 

"Yes." he nodded instead, managing a shy smile. "And I'm confused... Where am I?" 

"First tell me how you're feeling." Erik demanded, sounding concerned as he got closer to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. 

Of course the man had a point. Charles was the sick patient here and his health was the reason Erik has been what seems to be watching over him all this time. Naturally, Charles had to first tell him about his condition. 

"I am much better than what I last remember, thank you." he explained. "The pain is still here but more bearable now." He didn't even try to move his shoulder again. He couldn't risk his pained face to contradict his words. "I won't refuse a glass of water though. And maybe a banana?" 

Erik quickly and silently obliged, helping Charles with the water and offering him the fruit. 

"Thank you, this is really good." Charles said in reply to the wordless assistance of the blacksmith. "Now may I ask where exactly am I and what happened after I lost consciousness? Because everything is still a bit shaky and weird in my head and I just--" he trailed off. 

"You came to my shop, you were pale and hurt and had lost lots of blood already." Erik began with scientific precision. "I offered whatever help I could and called for the doctor. He took care of your wound better and we moved you here." 

"Here...?" Charles tilted his head 

"Umm, my home." Erik clarified. "This is where Wanda, Peter and I live." he hurriedly added "The doctor thought it better if we don't move you too much and I live just above the shop so it was easier that way..." 

Erik didn't mention his small argument with the doctor, concerning Charles' safety if they take him to the hospital - his attacker could finish what he or she had started earlier. Charles obviously needed protection and Erik was definitely going to provide it! But as we said, Erik thought it better not to mention that to Charles. 

"Of course." Charles nodded, thinking that it was for the better that they didn't take him back to his own residence or even the hospital where Shaw could easily find him. Although he gathered the news of the wounded teacher in the blacksmith's house was already spread throughout town. Shaw probably knew anyway. "I apologize for the inconvenience." 

"It's no inconvenience at all!" Erik exclaimed quickly and maybe a bit more passionately than was usually appropriate. 

"So umm, how long have I been...?" 

"Four days." Erik said "You've been sleeping for four days." 

Charles froze. So that explains why Erik looked like a zombie. This was probably Erik's room and Charles had occupied it here for four days and nights, leaving the poor man without a bed for all this time. And judging by Erik's concern, he wouldn't be able to sleep much with Charles being unconscious, wounded and possibly endangered anyway. 

"Oh, dear God!" Charles let out a breath "I was sleeping for that long?" 

"You lost too much blood. The doctor wasn't sure if you'd recover at all..." 

"Oh, my God! I must have scared Wanda and Peter so much!" Charles gasped horrified. 

The poor kids, sharing a home with their half-dead teacher! The thought was horrifying for a grown up, let alone a 10 year old. 

A strange look graced Erik's face - it was softer and warmer than ever before. "They were." he said "But they also wanted you to get well more than anything. They really didn't want to lose you..."

The strange look got even more intense now. Charles did not understand what it meant but he also was still resisting the urge to use his mutation. Which reminded him...

"Erik... there's something else..." he began, looking a bit nervous "Something unusual..." 

Erik furrowed his brow. "Yes...?" 

"Now I know I lost a lot of blood and I know what I'm about to say may sound a bit..." he was struggling to find the word "... crazy... but when I came to you for help... it appeared as if... it was almost like..." no point in beating about the bush "I'm  _positive_ you took out the bullet with the power of your mind." 

Erik's face turned to stone. "You must've imagined it." he said, shifting a little. 

"I'm sure I wasn't imagining it!" Charles insisted "Please, don't feel uncomfortable telling me... whatever it was..." 

He had to be careful when speaking of mutations. One never knew what kind of a person would hear and how they'd react. Charles wanted to make Erik feel safe, he wanted to make sure Erik knew Charles would never deliberately hurt him. 

"As you said, you were in pain, confused, hardly conscious, you lost too much blood." Erik listed "You were probably hallucinating or dreaming." 

Charles looked at him with disappointment. He was now positive Erik was a mutant and he was so curious to discover more about his mutation. 

"I know what I saw..." Charles whispered quietly, looking down at his hands "I just wished you'd trust me enough to confide in me. That you'd have enough faith in me to tell me things you otherwise wouldn't tell others about. I wished that I was special to you..."   

The last words he said even more quietly as if afraid to voice them. And then there was a short silence and then...

"You _are_ special to me, Charles." Erik said and Charles lifted his bright blue eyes to look at the blacksmith. "And maybe I do have something to confide in you..." he continued "I only hope you'd still look at me the same way afterwards." 

Charles was pretty sure he would. Recently he had discovered he only had one way to look at Erik and that was gazing at him with great, great respect and affection. So he tried shifting to a more comfortable position in bed and waited to hear Erik out. 


	12. You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Charles sat up in the bed, covering himself a bit with the blanket. He was still half naked in Erik's bedroom but somehow this did not seem to bother him, he didn't feel self-conscious in any way, it all felt natural. Erik was still sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands. After a few moments the blacksmith lifted his head and looked at Charles earnestly when he spoke again.

"First I want to warn you that I am not going to hurt you! I'm not dangerous. I could be... but I don't want to." Erik said, sounding almost pleading. "Please, keep that in mind when you hear and see what I am about to share with you." 

"I will keep that in mind." the teacher promised

Erik took a deep breath as if what he was about to do was a huge emotional step for him. Charles was already absolutely certain that his friend was a mutant and this was what he was about to tell him now. He could also see how nervous Erik was and if the reason was really what the teacher suspected it to be, well, it was perfectly understandable why Erik's hands were a little shaky. Telling someone you're a mutant was hard - even one's closest people could turn against you just for being different. Charles could easily read Erik's mind and find all the information he needed in there but that was not the way he wanted this to happen. He wanted to earn Erik's trust, to know that Erik himself chose to share this with Charles. He would not spare Erik the moment of 'coming out' to him, so to speak. Erik had to do this on his own, had to say it out loud and show Charles whenever he was ready. Charles was not going to deprive him of that. So he waited, giving Erik the time he needed. 

"Ever since I was 14" Erik spoke slowly, concentrating, his nervousness subsiding a little but still noticeable "... I can do... this..."

The metal bow of fruit on the nightstand began floating around them in the air. Charles' entire face lit up. _So it was true!_ This mutation was amazing! Charles couldn't help his enthusiasm and it showed in the hundreds of questions that he had for Erik. 

"I knew it! Is it telekinesis? Can you move anything or is it just the metal? Do you control the molecules or the magnetic waves? Since when can you do this? When did you discover your power? How did you find out about it? Is it hereditary? This is a mutation, a brilliant mutation! Do you know any other mutants?" 

Erik blinked at him in confusion, making Charles realize that he may have been a little overly enthusiastic about it and was now probably scaring the taller man off. In his excitement Charles had sat up straighter in the bed and clenched the muscles of his arms. He didn't feel any pain then because he was too far gone in his fascination with Erik's mutation, but now he was slowly coming back to his senses and his shoulder started hurting him again. He rubbed it gently with his good hand and lied down again.  

"I-- I'm sorry..." he mumbled. "I got carried away..." 

"You're not afraid of me." Erik stated the obvious, still looking very puzzled

"Well... no." Charles replied.

Of course he wasn't afraid of Erik. Erik was his friend! Erik was wonderful! Erik had already saved him so many times, Charles knew Erik would never hurt him. If anything, being closer to Erik made him feel safe. But Erik seemed to be struggling with understanding that someone would see his abilities and still be amazed by them!

Charles thought of how his family had reacted to his own mutation when it started to show, all the hurtful words, all the bullying he got because of it. It must have been similar for Erik too. Hell, it could've been even worse! 

"People usually get scared... I had to leave many towns because of that." Erik confessed

Charles shook his head with a smile. "I'm not people." he replied, placing one hand on Erik's to steady it, to comfort him. 

Erik looked up. His eyes were so expressive at the moment, Charles felt he could drown in them! 

"You don't think I'm a freak?" Erik asked 

"Of course not, Erik!" Charles smiled at him warmly, his own emotions already all over the place. "Your power, your  _mutation_ , is remarkable! I bet you can do all kinds of amazing things!" 

Erik chuckled sheepishly "Well, I can do pretty much anything with metal..." 

"No wonder you're such a great blacksmith!" Charles grinned "I bet you use your mutation for it. That's why you always work behind that screen, isn't it?" 

Erik nodded, still a little unsure. "Yes." he said "You're, umm, the first person to react this calmly after seeing what I can do..." he frowned suspiciously. "Why?" 

A little mischievous smile slowly appeared on Charles' face. His eyes were fixed on Erik's and the two were sharing an intense staring session. It was a time of confessions and Charles was ready to make his. 

He was about to 'show off' his ability when he noticed sudden change in Erik's expression - a wave of pain and disappointment in the blacksmith's eyes.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Erik asked bitterly. There was resentment in his voice, face grimacing in contempt. "One of those men who hunt down mutants to lock us away in factories and laboratories to experiment on us and exploit us!" 

Charles frowned. "I would never! I didn't even know there were such people!" 

"Don't lie to me, Charles!" Erik yelled, jumping back up on his feet. "I know all too well about the hunters! I've learned about them first hand! I _trusted_ you!" 

"Erik, I'm really so very sorry you went through... whatever you went through, but I assure you I am no hunter!" 

Erik's entire body was tense, anger raging throughout it. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles went wide.

"You were not shocked, Charles! You were not scared! Every other person would freak out when they see what I can do! Only a hunter won't be surprised! Only a hunter would expect it!"

"Erik, I promise I'm not--" Charles tried to explain but he got interrupted instantly

"You were planted here, weren't you? To get closer to us again, to gain my trust, to make me... _care_..." there was this pain in Erik's voice again. Charles wished he could just stop him from torturing them both! "He sent you here to capture Wanda, Peter and me but I won't allow you to do that, Charles!" Erik continued firmly, his voice even but threatening. "I won't let you hurt us!"  

Charles realized that Erik was already too affected to let him speak or to even hear him out properly so he decided it was time for drastic measures! 

 _~I am no hunter, Erik! I never lied to you~_ Charles spoke inside Erik's head.

Erik froze, panting. His chest was raising up and down rapidly as he was staring at Charles as if trying to understand what just happened. 

Charles continued, eyes fixed on Erik's, brow furrowed in concentration, lips deliberately pursed so that Erik could clearly see that the voice was not coming from Charles' mouth but from Charles' mind. It wasn't easy to master telepathic communication and Charles was really out of practice - the last time he's done that Raven and him were teens - but there was no other way to regain control of the situation, to make Erik listen. So he continued, hoping he's not hurting Erik.  _~Think about it, Erik._ _There can be another reason why I'm not afraid of you. Do you see it now?~_  he bobbed his head _~Yes, that's me inside your mind._ _I was not afraid of you and your abilities because I'm like you, a mutant. I'm a telepath.~_

Erik's jaw slacked as his hand searched for something to grab hold onto. Charles let him take his time again as Erik slowly dropped back to the edge of the bed, as far from the telepath as possible. 

"You're a-- you're a mutant too? A telepath?" Erik said, his voice cracking "I thought..." 

"I'm not one of the men who hurt you." Charles assured. "I promise. I can show you if you want. I can show you my mind..." 

"No! That's not necessary." Erik said firmly and Charles nodded, respecting that decision. 

A sudden wave of fear rushed through his entire body. What if Charles' mutation was scaring Erik too much? Even Raven hated it when Charles tried to talk to her in her mind; she'd warned him repeatedly to never get inside her head. Being around a telepath made people feel uneasy, they hated it. What if Erik hated it too? What if Erik got distant and started avoiding Charles now? Could Charles even live with that? 

He felt more and more insecure until finally he saw a smile on Erik's face. 

"Charles!" the blacksmith gasped "You're a mutant! I'm not alone!" 

Charles beamed into a smile "You're definitely not alone, my friend! Definitely not alone!" he said, the emotions raging in his heart. 

"You have no idea how long I've been... I..." Erik stuttered. Charles could tell his friend was overwhelmed with excitement as well. 

"You can think it if you like" he joked 

"You mean you can hear my thoughts? You know  _everything_ that goes in my head?" Erik asked, a little nervous now. 

Charles' heart sunk. "No!" he said hurriedly "I mean, I could but I shield myself. I hardly ever use my mutation." A glimpse of relief ran through Erik's face. Charles continued "Erik, I would never violate your mind. I promise!" 

Erik chuckled as if sharing a private joke with himself. Then he smiled at Charles. "Show me what else you can do!" he said "And I'll show you what I can do." 

Charles grinned back, blue eyes sparkling. The two spent the rest of the day showing off their mutations to one another, laughing and joking and basically feeling happy and free. For a few moments there were no fear, no worries, no stress, no heartbreaks. For a few moments it was only the two of them being happy, being themselves. 


	13. You Are Not Alone

When Wanda and Peter saw that Charles was awake they were happier than ever. The twins instantly threw themselves on Charles, wrapping their arms around him to give him lots of hugs and kisses. In their wild expression of love they almost forgot about their teacher's hurt shoulder so Charles had to suppress a few winces so that he doesn't worry them again. 

"Careful with him. You'll break him." Erik scolded softly, reminding them to mind Charles' wound

The kids instantly became less rough in their enthusiasm to hold Charles and never let him go. Charles himself was smiling and laughing with them, feeling at home which was a new emotion for him because he never truly felt like he belonged anywhere before. 

"You have to stay with us, Mr. Charles!" Wanda insisted "We can take care of you, and play with you, and read to you..." 

"Yeah, I can read too! I can!" Peter butted in, proud of his skills. 

Charles beamed at them. "I know! And you're pretty amazing at it too." he complimented them both, causing them to grin even wider than before. 

"I can make a drawing to keep you safe." Wanda said with a serious face. "So that no one shoots at you ever again."

"Aww, Wanda..." Charles felt his heart melting. 

"It'll be like a talisman. Like the one daddy has in his pocket at all times. Only his is pretty and wooden." she added with a smile. 

Charles glanced up at Erik - it was  _his_ wooden talisman. It was the one  _Charles had given to him._ And Erik was  _keeping it by his side at all times!_ Charles couldn't help the soft smile on his face. 

"And I won't leave your side either!" Peter assured, pulling Charles out of his thoughts. "And with me around, you'll be safe." 

"Oh, thank you. Thank you both." Charles smiled, removing a lock of hair from the boy's forehead "But, Peter, I wouldn't want to risk your life. Guns are dangerous." 

"But I can do it, I can really, really save you if someone attacks. I'm--" he hesitated, frowning a bit. "I'm pretty fast." 

Erik chuckled, realizing his son's inner struggle. He could easily intervene and stop the delicate conversation, avoid the topic, but instead he decided to let Peter do as he thought was right. 

"Oh, it's lovely that you're fast, dear, but we can't outrun a bullet." Charles sighed. Maybe Erik could stop a bullet though - control the metal, deflect the bullet in another direction, Charles thought. A warm blush spread across his face as he imagined Erik using his mutation. It was really exciting! So exciting that Charles couldn't stop his fascination with what Erik could do. If Charles was attached and fascinated by Erik before, it got even more intense now that the two actually knew one another better, now that they became closer, now that they shared this special bond. Now that they trusted each other.

"But I--" Peter protested. Erik was almost positive his son would now confess his own mutation to Charles. But the boy's strength surprised him. Peter only swallowed hard and then said a bit quieter. "I still won't leave your side."  

Erik felt his chest tighten. His son, his _10 year old_ son, went through so much already that he dared not admit he had special abilities, not even to his favourite teacher. The boy was clearly afraid of what could happen if their powers were revealed. It was at that moment when Erik realized that the trauma his children experienced at the hunters' houses for a year and a half was still not completely healed and probably never would be. It was there to haunt them all and there was nothing much Erik could do about it but just be there for them to make it easier to bear. 

He took a deep breath and spoke again, determined. "I have another good news for you two." the blacksmith said to his kids and Charles looked at him with curiosity, wondering what the other good news could possibly be. Erik smiled at them all and announced. "You can show Charles." 

The Lehnsherrs exchanged strange looks. It was as if they had their own telepathy going on there. It was sweet but it also made Charles feel so excluded. 

Slowly the twins brightened up even more, huge grins on their faces as they turned towards Charles again. Charles was still confused but the smile did not leave his face. "Show me what?" he asked 

They cast another questioning look at their father as if not sure if they understood him correctly.

" _Show him_." Erik reassured them again

The kids nodded with a smile and then Charles watched in astonishment as Peter ran around the room with incredible speed - circling it in less than a second, bringing Charles items from the kitchen or toys from the children's bedroom. Charles gaped at him - so the boy even left the room, then returned again with all those items and all that in less then a second? It was incredible!

"Peter... you're a..." Charles could not hide his happy surprise. The boy was a mutant too! 

Of course he was a mutant too! He was Erik's son. Genetically it was perfectly logical. Damn it, it would even be possible that Wanda too was a--

His thought was interrupted when he saw the little girl making things flow around her, creating beams of red light and whatnot. The furniture around them started shaking as if for a short moment chaos ruled. Charles gasped, his eyes sparkling as he realized that both Erik's kids were mutants! 

"Wanda!" Erik's voice sounded urgent, nervous "Wanda, that's enough! Stop!" 

With some effort the girl managed to calm herself again, the red light from her subsided as the everything in the room stopped shaking as well. 

Erik stroke his daughter's hair. "Good girl." he said, lovingly and she wrapped herself around him. Erik looked at Charles with the smile of a proud father. "As you can see, they both have abilities as well. Peter is really fast and Wanda is... well, she has multiple strange mutations, I'm not yet quite sure what she can and can't do. It's remarkable and really massive. It's also not easy to control... I guess she has to explore it further but we try to suppress it so that no one... no one finds out..."

A shadow past through Charles' face as the unfairness of it hit him hard. He never realized how unfair it was to be forced to hide and suppress your abilities! It never stroke him as a wrong when he himself was forced to hide. But now, seeing these lovely, charming children being forced to hide, to lie, to not be themselves, to not develop what they were meant to be, now it came crashing how unfair, how utterly unfair and wrong this truly was! 

"I can help with that." Charles couldn't stop himself from saying, determined. "Maybe as a telepath I could help her discover more about her powers. About all your powers. I think I could actually help."

Wanda stared at him. "A telepath?" she repeated, frowning "What is that?" 

Charles gave her a gentle smile. "It's a mutation, Wanda. It's an ability that is usually not found in humans. Yes. I'm a mutant too." 

The joy in the two kids' eyes was priceless and Charles thought he'd forever cherish the moment he saw the expressions on their faces. 

"So you're like us? And you still love us? You're not... disgusted by us?" 

Charles shook his head quickly. "Of course I still love you! If anything, now I love you even more." 

The waves of pure joy coming from the minds of the twins were difficult to shield from. Charles could feel how happy they were to discover that their dear teacher was a mutant like them, that they weren't alone in the world; that they could show him their mutations and not be judged for it, not be tortured or persecuted or hated for it; that they could truly be themselves in front of him. It made Charles happy too to see them like that and to actually feel he himself was accepted by them and Erik. He looked up at Erik and smiled at him gratefully. Grateful that Erik trusted him with this, grateful that they've accepted him into their family. It was probably the happiest all four of them have been in a really long time. 

Charles let the Lehnsherrs convince him to stay with them in their home until he got better. The official excuse was that he needed rest and medication until he healed from his gun wound. The real reason, however, was a bit different and it had a lot to do with Erik's determination to keep Charles safe and Charles' utter enthusiasm to spend more time with Erik and the kids.

"Wanda and I share a room." Peter told Charles "You can share daddy's room with daddy." 

Charles blushed and then mentally cursed himself, confused at his own strange reactions. "I could take the couch or..." he mumbled but Erik interrupted him hurriedly 

"Don't worry yourself about this, Charles. We can manage something." Erik reassured as he and Wanda cleaned the dishes after dinner. 

Charles was now able to stand and walk with a bit of help. It was just a shoulder wound but he did lose a lot of blood and was still really weak. That is why the Lehnsherr's made sure there was always one of them standing close to Charles to support and protect him as if he were a wounded animal. Charles was both uncomfortable with causing them trouble, and at the same time finding their behavior extremely adorable. 

After they were done with dinner the kids kissed their father's cheek and then Charles found with a pleasant surprise that they did the same with him as if he really were a member of their family now. It made his heart leap, it made him feel as if Raven was back. 

"Good night!" Peter and Wanda said and went to bed

Charles and Erik remained in the kitchen. 

"How is your shoulder?" Erik asked as he dimmed the light and sat down at the table next to Charles.

Now that the children were already in their bedrooms, Erik left only one candle burning on the table. He was economizing, Charles realized, but at the same time he felt this dimmed light created a quite pleasant and cozy atmosphere. It also made Erik's face look so beautiful... Charles could see it from up close now and yet... Ugh! As if Erik's face wasn't already too beautiful as it is! Charles bit his lower lip. Those thoughts were so wrong! He had to get them out of his mind! If only he could... 

"It's much better." Charles replied, smiling. 

Erik chuckled with a head shake. "I saw you getting pale a few times today. Don't lie to me. How are you feeling?" 

Charles licked his lip and then decided to be completely honest. "It still hurts like a mother and I get a bit disoriented at times but I can tell it's getting better quickly." 

"Mhm." Erik seemed serious, his brow furrowed, concentrating on something. 

Charles felt guilty. "I won't be staying long, I promise." he said

Erik lifted his gaze instantly. "You're not going anywhere, Charles!" he said, astonished by the idea of Charles leaving anytime soon. "Not only are you still weak and in need of assistance, but you have that lunatic after you!" 

"Mr. Shaw really was an unexpected enemy..." Charles mumbled, touched by the concern he felt leaking from Erik's voice. 

"He shot you, he probably payed that idiot who tried to kill you too." Erik huffed with disgust. "That man's definitely after you, Charles. He'll try to get to you again but this time you won't be alone. This time I'll be here, right by your side!" 

Charles felt his breath hitching. Erik took his hand on the table and squeezed it gently, reassuringly. 

"I promise you," Erik spoke, his voice low and a little husky, sounding so intimate. His gaze fixed intensely on Charles. "I promise you that man won't get to us. You're safe here." 

 _Us_... Erik could've said _'he won't get to **you** ' _but instead he said  _ **us**. _ Like Charles was already a part of their family and whoever threatened him threatened them all.

The teacher smiled softly. Erik just like that got involved in this dangerous situation, risking not only his own life but his children's lives as well with the single purpose of keeping him - Charles - safe. This realization made Charles want to cry and grin at the same time. Erik actually _cared._ Charles never had a friend like that before! He wished to say something, to make Erik understand how much this meant to him but he found himself speechless.

And then the moment was gone. Erik let go of Charles' hand, took out a bottle of whisky and placed it on the table with two glasses.

"And now," the blacksmith said with determination, "we need to discuss a few things."  


	14. More Than You Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!  
> Thank you so much for reading and liking this story :D It means so much to me that you do and I hope you're enjoying it! :)  
> Just a warning, this chapter is about tragic backstories. So yeah, Charles and Erik opening up to one another on candle light. Please note the single man tear sliding down Erik's cheek and Charles' puppy eyes!  
> Honestly, I can't wait for them to finally admit they're in love but I guess I have to be more patient about this because I planned it for a bit later in the story :L  
> Enjoy!  
> Peace and Serenity!

Charles assumed a serious face and tried not to think about how luring Erik's lips looked right now and how he felt this strong desire to press his own mouth there to taste them... He swallowed, despite his mouth going dry. He had to force those sinful thoughts out of his mind. 

"Yes. We need to discuss things. I am listening." the teacher said 

"Do you have any idea why Shaw attacked you?" Erik asked 

"No." Charles shook his head "And although he had the chance to kill me, he didn't. I don't quite understand why." 

Erik huffed. "What could he possibly want from you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"How long do you know him?" Erik asked again 

"Since forever. I mean, he's my step-father's friend and he--" Charles trailed off. 

"... and he...?" Erik repeated urgently "Charles, I know it's late and you're probably tired but focus!"

"No, I... I do have a theory..."  Charles said and chewed on his bottom lip.

Erik waited a few moments and when he saw his friend hesitated to speak, he decided to give him a little encouragement. "I can't read your mind. That's your talent, not mine. You're going to have to say it with words. Whatever it is, even if it's hard for you to speak of it, you're not alone. Never alone. You have me, my kids, Miss MacTaggart, Hank McCoy... you have friends. And we all care about you very much."

"It may not be very pleasant for you to hear, Erik." Charles said, biting his lips even more nervously.

"Never mind me!" Erik groaned "Tell me your theory." 

"I think Shaw's one of those people who hunt mutants." Charles said carefully.

Erik paled. Charles didn't know what exactly hunters did to Erik - and he didn't check in Erik's head either because he did make a promise not to violate Erik's mind and he wasn't going to break that promise - but it was clear that something had happened. Erik's history with that kind of people was definitely not pleasant. Charles could tell they've hurt him badly and he didn't want Erik to suffer that pain again.

Realizing that Erik wasn't going to say anything now, Charles continued. 

"I have a sister." he said, trying to sound calm. "She's a mutant too. That's how we met actually. She's adopted... I was a lonely child and she came to steal in our kitchen and I decided to keep her." he gave a small chuckle at the memory. "The best thing that's ever happened to me in my life." he sighed, feeling his heart getting heavy again at the loss of Raven. "Our step-father never approved of our gifts..." his voice got darker now "He hated it actually. He called us freaks... hired people to 'get the evil spirits out of us', to heal us... But nothing ever worked. Raven and I spent most of our childhood in fear of what they'd come up with next. But at least we had each other." 

Erik's hand instinctively found Charles' on the table, compassion in his eyes.

"And then Shaw came." Charles sighed, not removing his hand from under Erik's palm. It felt really nice, actually, to feel Erik's emotional support like that. "Shaw was an old friend of our step-father's. Apparently they went way back but we never knew the exact story. They used to write each other a lot of letters, had some business partnerships and Shaw visited every now and then. He lived in America, you see, so a trip like that wasn't easy to do and yet he somehow always managed to be there whenever my step-father called for him." Charles frowned, wondering how did Sebastian Shaw always travel so quickly. He shrugged. "Well, anyway. This time was different. This time Shaw invited my sister with him to America. Raven... she wanted out of the house. I was just hiding in a corner, withdrawing myself into my own world, practically living in my head. But she needed to go outside, to see things, to actually live. So she agreed. She went with him. And then we received a letter from Shaw that she was gone. She disappeared." 

Charles felt Erik shudder. 

"We didn't know where she was, didn't know what happened to her. I couldn't feel her with my telepathy at such distance. So I followed her. I came here, looking for her but so far... nothing..." he shook his head, biting his lower lip to prevent himself from tearing up. "I never suspected Shaw of anything worse than just being a really unpleasant person" he continued when he was ready to talk again "But now, after hearing about... hunters... What if Shaw is one of them? What if he is looking for mutants worldwide and that's why he invited Raven? What if our step-father complained to him about what we can do and Shaw came up with the perfect way for him to get rid of us? Maybe that's why he didn't kill me when he had the chance - he wanted me alive for experiments. What if Raven is still there...?"

Erik was silent for a long moment. Charles could see the struggle in his face, the pain behind that furrowed brow. He wished he could ease Erik's mind but he knew better that getting inside Erik's head. 

"I'm sorry to say this, Charles," Erik finally spoke "But this theory of yours sounds quite logical. It really makes sense." 

The teacher's heart sunk at the thought of Raven in one of those houses with laboratories where he heard these hunters kept mutants. Erik's fingers squeezed tighter around Charles' hand. 

"I know it's horrible, Charles... And I think... I think it's time I tell you my story."

Charles shifted in his chair, readjusting his hurt shoulder. "Only if you want to." he replied "If you feel like you need to."

"I do. And especially to you. Especially now." Erik said, his voice sounding resolute. "My children were in those camps! That's what they are, Charles, camps. It looks like a plantation from the outside but on the inside it has some freaky laboratories, torture dungeons and whatnot. They keep mutants there, experiment on them, exploit their powers for their own purposes, under terrible conditions. God, I hope your sister is okay and still alive!" 

Charles swallowed.  _She has to be alive! Please, let her be alive!_

"Wanda and Peter were in one of those for 1 year, 8 months and 23 days. I didn't know. I-- I didn't know where they were. I couldn't imagine it had anything to do with their mutations, we were so careful." he shook his head bitterly "When they were kidnapped from school one day I knew this was a horrible experience for them but the reality turned out to be even worse than my nightmares!" Erik's voice was quivering. A tear was sliding down his manly cheek and Charles felt his pain as if it were his own. He squeezed Erik's hand reassuringly. It was his turn to give comfort. Erik continued with his story. "I failed at finding them. And then this amazing person came and she brought them back! She told me what had happened, she told me she was there with them, locked away, tortured, hurt, distraught... but she managed to escape! And she set everyone free when she did so! All the mutants alive in that horrible place! She burned it to the ground!" the admiration in Erik's eyes was clear. Charles could understand this. That woman was clearly a hero, she deserved to be Erik's hero too. "She saved my children and I'll be forever grateful to her!" 

Of course, Charles was aware of this story. Peter had already confided in him about it. But it was very powerful hearing it from Erik too. Charles allowed him to continue and Erik took a deep breath before he spoke again. It was obvious that going back to those memories was a painful experience for Erik but Charles could also feel the blacksmith's determination about this.

"They were taken from me while they were in school so I kept them away from everyone from then on... That's why I didn't let them go to school when we moved here. I wanted a new life but I wanted to save them from every danger. They went through so much, my kids! They were tortured in that place, both emotionally and physically. And I wasn't there to stop it!" 

"It wasn't your fault." Charles uttered, his voice quiet, soft.

"It wasn't my credit either." Erik replied "We already had one tragedy in our family already. Caused by my mutation." 

Charles paled. He let Erik speak, patient not to force the man into confessing more than he wanted. 

"My wife." Erik said, looking down at their hands, still entangled together. "She was human. We practically grew up together. She knew about me... she was a bit alarmed at first. She felt uneasy around me, tried to avoid me for some time, she needed time to adjust to the idea that her husband was  _one of those people,_ one of the _freaks."_

Charles understood that all too well. "She was probably raised to fear anyone who's different like that." he said. "It wasn't her fault." 

"Yes, I realized that and yet it was hard for me to know that the woman I loved was scared of me." 

"I couldn't imagine what that must've felt like..." Charles said quietly, gazing at Erik. 

Their eyes locked for a moment and then Erik quickly took hold of himself and continued with his story. "It took time but we both came to terms with it and eventually we moved past this. By the end she was pretty comfortable with my abilities. Or at least, accepting of what she couldn't change. Of course I did not use my mutation at home because it would upset her. We had Wanda and Peter, we had our little home. It was lovely, nothing fancy but we were happy. And then I... _foolishly_... allowed people to see my mutation." the bitterness was back to his voice "And that was it. They went after us and in their stupidity they thought the best thing to do was to burn our house. With us inside it. I _saved_ one of them, Charles! I saved a human from a big chunk of metal, falling on him! And still they thought I was a freak... Still they wanted me and my family dead! They set fire on my home!

"I'm so sorry..." Charles whispered, overwhelmed by this man's tragedy.

Only now did Charles understand the fear in Erik's eyes the other day when Charles first told him that he saw Erik fly the bullet out of his wounded shoulder. Erik must've thought the story, this horrible story, was repeating itself again. 

The taller man went on. "I took the kids and ran but Magda fell behind and she..." 

"It's alright! You don't have to say it!" Charles interrupted, desperate to ease Erik's pain. 

"... they killed her, Charles." Erik said it nevertheless. "Humans killed her out of their closed-mindedness, their stupidity, their cruelty. Wanda and Peter were only babies when this happened. I had to raise them on my own, while my heart was still wounded by the loss. I had to teach them that their abilities are considered a sin. I had to make them hide who they were for the sake of their own safety! I thought humans would kill them. I never imagined they could do so much worse!" 

There was rage vibrating in Erik's voice, something dangerous, something that made Charles shudder. As if Erik would gladly wipe out all of humanity if he truly let his anger rage on freely. 

"I hope your sister is alright, Charles." Erik concluded, looking at Charles almost tenderly now. "I hope she is! But if she's still in those camps... I doubt she'd survive long." 

Charles let out a pained little gasp and bit his lips. "My poor Raven..." he whispered "All she wanted was her freedom..." 

Erik's hand rested on Charles' shoulder. "I didn't mean to discourage you..." he said awkwardly "I may be wrong. Maybe she got lucky! Maybe she was one of the mutants Mystique saved." he said, trying to sound optimistic. Optimism wasn't a natural look on him but it was sweet that he tried. "Mystique would save every tortured mutant she can! She turned this into her mission. I know that because she told me so when she brought Wanda and Peter home. She swore to save others like us! She's a hero, she's a legend!" 

"Why do they call her Mystique?" Charles tilted his head 

"Because she can take any form she chooses!" Erik replied with pathos in his voice "Woman, man, child... anything. She can shift into whoever she wants. I believe it was Wanda that came up with the name and Mystique really liked it."

Charles' eyes went wide. "You mean she's a shapeshifter? That's her mutation?" he asked in trembling voice. His face was getting paler and paler as the story unraveled itself in front of him.

"Yes... Are you alright, Charles?" Erik's concerned eyes examined him carefully 

"Erik..." Charles said, overwhelmed with emotion "... I think Mystique is my sister..."  


	15. The Legend of Mystique

"Your sister? Charles, are you sure?" Erik asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. 

"My sister is a shapeshifter. She's feisty, she won't stand injustice when she sees it. She'd fight. And she loves adventures." Charles chuckled "I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner! Mystique sounds just like Raven!"

"Mystique is your sister." Erik kept repeating as if the thought was really difficult to digest. "How is that even possible?"

"You mean because of how different we are?" Charles laughed now. "I know! It sounds unbelievable for a girl like her to have a brother like me." he teased 

"That's not what I meant..." Erik mumbled but Charles did not listen to him now. His features had slowly turned from excitement to worry as a realization struck him.

"But if I'm right and Mystique really is Raven who was captured by Shaw and escaped saving all those other mutants including your children..." he said "... then that... means..."

They looked one another in the eyes as if Charles was transferring the thought to Erik's consciousness. 

"... that means my children were tortured by Shaw..." Erik finished the thought, clinching his jaw. "It was Shaw who did this to us." he gritted through his teeth.

Charles nodded wordlessly. " _If_ I'm right." he added. 

"Well, there's one way to make sure." Lehnsherr said determinedly

Charles tilted his head in confusion, not quite following his friend's trail of thought.

"My children's bedroom is this way." Erik said, getting up on his feet "Come with me. They'll be asleep but you can still read their minds. Look at their memories, see if it was really Raven who saved them and if it was really Shaw that hurt them." 

He did not wait for Charles to reply, he just pulled him by the hand. Charles froze, not taking one step further. 

"Erik... I--" he stuttered  

"What is it, Charles?" Erik looked at him confused "This is the perfect way for you to find out what happened to your sister. And I need to know who caused this much pain to my children and me! I _need to know!_ " there was something dangerous in Erik's voice but Charles chose to ignore it. "Come on, Charles. What's stopping you? Knowing the whole story, you can find clues as to where to look for Mystique now." 

"I know... I just... " he bit his lip nervously "I don't usually do this... I shield myself and I avoid reading people's minds... I'm afraid..." 

Both Erik's hands rested on each side of Charles' arms and he looked him in the eyes. Charles realized they've never been this close before. Erik was leaning a bit so they were eye to eye level. Charles could see every detail of his friend's face, his beautiful eyes that had captivated him with power he could not quite understand yet. He felt his heartbeat speeding up again as he heard Erik's low, intense, passionate voice.

"You won't hurt them, Charles." he said "I know you won't. I trust you!" 

Charles bit his lip again to hold himself from making an embarrassing sound. He nodded silently. Erik smiled softly at him, then cleared his throat, letting the smaller man go and moving away a bit.

"This way." he said and left the kitchen first, waiting for Charles to follow. 

Erik had a point, Charles knew that. And yet the fear that he might hurt Erik's kids if he started exploring their minds was terrifying him. He took a few deep breaths, looking at the two sleeping children. These children that he grew to love so much over these last months in Carlton. These kids that trusted him and cared about him.

Charles swallowed. Erik was looking at him expectantly and yet not rushing him. Slowly Charles put his fingers to his temple. He didn't really need to do this in order to read a person's mind, but he felt like this gesture was helping him control himself better; it was a crutch and he still felt too inexperienced to let go of it.

He concentrated, removing his shields only enough to get inside the children's memories. He was very careful not to do any damage to the delicate minds. 

The feeling of using his power again was both overwhelming and exhilarating. He remembered how excited Peter and Wanda were when they showed him what they could do with their own mutations. He understood now why they were so happy to be able to just use their powers freely. He wished this happiness to all mutants without the threat of being persecuted for it.

Charles carefully maneuvered his mind to reach the part of theirs that he needed. But as soon as he accessed their memories he gasped. Immediately he felt Erik's strong arms wrap around him to support him. Erik's nervous voice asking him if he's okay.

"So much pain..." Charles managed to whisper, feeling the tears slide down his cheeks. "So much pain... Erik, I can't..."

Erik was gazing at him worriedly, not really knowing what to do to help.

The horror of the kids when they were blindfolded and taken away to the scary unknown place. The fear of what was to come. The sorrow of how upset their daddy must be and how much he was missing them. The painful experiments that almost took their lives. The feelings and emotions so intense and still so fresh that Charles could not even imagine the torture of living with this every day, especially when you're 10.

"Please, Erik, let me lock these memories away! Let them not remember them so vividly!" the telepath pleaded. "They're too painful to bear. Please, just... permit me to take them away..." 

Tears were rolling down Charles' cheeks as he felt Wanda and Peter's feelings upon himself as if they were his. Erik was looking at him with deep concern, feeling utterly helpless. 

"I won't hurt them! I just want them to feel relief..." Charles said again. 

Erik nodded a wordless agreement. He let Charles do as he pleased. This was a declaration of the utmost trust he could bestow upon his friend. But Charles had no time to ponder on this. He quickly locked the pain away, shielded the children's minds from it. The memories were still there, still in tact - he could not allow himself to go as far as deleting them completely - but the pain now felt more distant, as if happening to someone else, not so vivid. It should be a relief. 

When Charles removed his finger from his temple he lost his balance and would've fallen if it weren't for Erik's strong arms, wrapping tightly around him to support his weight. Still panting and sweaty from the effort, Charles looked up at Erik. His friend was worried, he could tell. A wordless question on his concerned face.

"It should be better now." Charles managed to say. They both looked at the kids who were still sleeping, unaware of what was happening around them. Charles had left sweet dreams to them in hope they'd get some good rest. He then turned to Erik once more. "They'll remember most of what happened to them in that camp but it won't be as painful as it was. It'll be like a bad dream." he explained, taking his breath back. His legs were still shaking so he did his best to not stumble as he headed towards the door. 

Erik stood in his children's bedroom for a moment, placing a kiss on Wanda and Peter's foreheads before following Charles and closing the door behind them. 

He looked at Charles again. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern written all over his face

Charles nodded. "Yes. Don't worry about me." 

Erik nodded awkwardly in reply and swallowed. "Thank you." he said, voice trembling with emotion. "I never really dared asking them about the time they spent there... I didn't want to hurt them by making them remember but I guess they were silently hurting nevertheless. I just made things worse!" 

"No!" Charles reached out for Erik's hand "You didn't! They wanted to protect you. They knew how worried you were, how much you suffered too. It gave them comfort to know that they did not cause you any more pain." 

"And look where that got them, Charles... Humansdid this to them!" 

"What happened to Peter and Wanda is monstrous, beyond forgiveness!" Charles said "But things will be better, my friend! I believe in this!" he squeezed Erik's fingers "Mystique gave them hope. She's their hero and when they're scared they hold on to that. No one can take it away from them, Erik." 

Erik smiled softly, eyes locked with Charles'. Then he spoke again after a short pause. 

"And... did you see? Is it as we thought? Is Mystique really your sister?" 

Charles bit his lip with a smile and nodded. "Yes." he said breathlessly with a great relief "Mystique is indeed my sister. I saw her. That was definitely Raven." He couldn't help grinning at him now "I found her, Erik! I found my sister!" 


	16. When You Don't Know What To Say, Talk

"Oh, Erik! Raven's alive! She's alive!" Charles was beyond himself with joy. Months of fruitless searching and finally there was light in the end of the tunnel! "Now all I have to do is find her." he said, his smile only faltering a little as he realized that this would not be an easy task.

Mystique was, as Charles was informed, a fugitive - a mutant hero wanted by the law as if she was a common bandit. No doubt that too was Shaw's doing. The man's influence was quite beyond limits, as it seemed. Charles was deeply upset about yet another show of injustice.

However, things were so much clearer in Charles' head now. "He wants me in order to get to her." the teacher said, more to himself than to his friend. "He doesn't need me just for my mutation, he thinks he'd get to my sister if he had me." he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Raven broke out of his camps and secret laboratories, she knows exactly what's going on in there **and** dragged a bunch of other mutants out with her. She's trouble to him. She knows too much. She could expose him if she gathers enough proof."

"Don't forget she's still actively fighting against him, sabotaging him and others like him." Erik supplied. "So she's an even bigger problem to him now. No wonder he came here personally to get you!"

"I won't allow him to hurt my sister." Charles said determinedly "If only there was a fast way for me to warn her..." 

"I may know where she is." Erik pulled him out of his thoughts. 

Charles looked up at him confused. "You do? How? I thought she was hiding, never in one place for too long." 

"Yes, she is but not long after she brought the kids back home to me she returned to give me an address." Erik explained quietly as if afraid someone might hear them. "She said should I ever need her, I could write to Angel Salvatore on this address and she'll be notified." 

"So... this is it? We can just write to this Angel Salvatore person and Raven will eventually come to me on her own?" Charles asked, not believing that it could be this easy.

Erik smiled. "So it seems." 

Charles smiled brightly and wrapped his good arm around his friend. "Thank you, Erik! Thank you so much!" 

Erik's hands sheepishly found their way around Charles to hug him back. "It's really nothing. Things just happened that way. It was a coincidence." he mumbled as Charles released him from the embrace and looked up at him, beaming.

"There are no coincidences, Erik." the schoolteacher said softly.

It must've been really stuffy in the room, Charles thought, because Erik's cheeks were flushed red. Charles, however, didn't notice any change in the temperature though because he was too excited and happy to finally have a huge breakthrough in his search for Raven!

Erik was gazing at him with this strange but warm gleam in his eyes that Charles really enjoyed even though he wasn't quite sure of its meaning. 

"What is it?" Charles asked still smiling at the taller man

Erik opened his mouth as if to say something when the clock struck 2 in the morning and Erik shifted awkwardly, breaking eye contact with Charles.

"It's late." the blacksmith said "We should get some rest before it's time to wake up again." 

"Oh, yes, indeed." Charles replied with a nod, feeling completely unjustified and unreasonable disappointment at the prospect of going to bed instead of staying up with Erik. "It really is late." 

"You take the bed, I'll take the couch." Erik continued "Good night, Charles." his smile was different now, stiffer as if he was forcing it. 

"Good night..." Charles replied quietly, watching Erik retrieving to the living room before going in the other direction himself.

 

The feeling of waking up to the thought that he was a step closer to seeing Raven again was amazing and Charles was enjoying every second of it! However, guilt crept into his heart. Last night in a moment of weakness Charles did something he now regretted. Feeling Wanda and Peter's pain he just let his emotions get the better of him and faded their memories, numbed the pain, without even asking for their permission. True, Erik had given carte blanche to Charles to do whatever he thought was appropriate but he still felt like he had violated their minds with his haste decision. They trusted him and he betrayed that trust. So first thing in the morning he went to talk to the kids and see how they were feeling.

What he found in their bedroom was unexpected. The two were jumping on their beds, giggling and laughing and basically having a blast. 

"Well, good morning to you, two!" Charles chuckled from the doorframe. "Mind if I come in?" 

"Only if you play with us." Wanda grinned mischievously and attempted a wink which was hilarious because she was still terrible at it but Charles admired the effort. 

"Shouldn't it be breakfast first and games later?" he asked, getting inside and leaving the door half-open. 

"Today's different!" Peter said, jumping high and fast on his bed. 

"Careful!" Charles warned hurriedly. "I know you're special but don't be careless." 

"Don't worry, Mr. Charles, he won't fall." Wanda giggled, floating herself towards her teacher. "We used to play like this all the time before. And then we stopped. But now we just feel like playing again." 

A soft smile appeared on Charles' lips. "You do? This is good. Very good. I'm glad." he said "Keep playing. Children should play." She grinned at him and went back to her brother. 

Seeing the two so happy and cheerful again for the first time in a really long time, Charles felt relief, his guilt slowly subsiding to make room for serenity and feeling of self-respect. After all, he and his gift did this. He brought the smile back to these children's faces, he gave them the chance to just be kids again and that was something! Wanda and Peter who had always been so withdrawn, so serious for their age, so far away in their mind, Wanda and Peter who hadn't played like children do for more than 2 years, these Wanda and Peter were now jumping around, laughing and beaming with joy. This was precious and Charles wanted to remember this feeling of happiness and purpose in his heart. 

He was about to walk out of the door when Wanda suddenly stopped jumping, giving him an examining look. 

"Aren't you going to tell us?" she asked calmly and Peter stopped in one place too 

Charles paused, leaving the door half-open again and turned to look at them. "What?" 

"You came here to tell us what you did to us, didn't you?" Wanda continued in that same mature, grown-up manner that had taken Charles by surprise. "That's what you came here for this morning but you changed your mind. Are you sure you don't want us all to discuss it together?" 

Charles fidgeted awkwardly, taking a step towards the kids. Peter's eyes were following his every movement just like Wanda's were.  _They knew._

"Well, I did indeed come here to... I just saw you were enjoying yourself so I thought..." he bit his lips.

"You made it less painful." Peter said "That's what you did, isn't it? We kind of figured it out when we woke up, feeling differently." 

At that moment Charles realized all he had to do was talk to them. They were kids but he wasn't in any way their superior. He hated it when grown-ups talked down to children - they were young, not retarded! - and he wasn't going to do that himself. Especially not to  _these_ children. The thought of just being honest with them calmed him down, liberated him, and he spoke again, sitting down between their beds. "I can explain."

Wanda nodded. "We know you can." 

The two sat down on each of their beds and smiled at him calmly. He returned the same smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

"Better." Wanda replied 

"Much better!" Peter added 

"I know I should've asked you first..." 

"Yes, you should've." Wanda agreed but then chuckled "You couldn't wait to show off your mutation, didn't you, Mr. Charles?" 

She was teasing him! Wanda Lehnsherr, the girl that hardly ever spoke about anything other than her studies and occasionally opening up to him, was now teasing him! Charles couldn't help laughing. 

"You know when we found out about your power Wanda and I were talking about it too." Peter said when their laughter subsided. 

"Oh? That impressive, was I?" Charles replied 

"We were going to ask you to make us forget." Peter said and Charles stared at them both dumbstruck. 

"We were thinking of asking you to make us and daddy forget that this ever happened." Wanda confirmed 

"Oh, my darlings" Charles breathed out, trying to control all the emotions and empathy that was filling his entire being at this moment. "I'm so sorry all this happened to you! But forgetting is not the right choice. There are bad things in life, horrible things. But we need not forget them. We should remember them so that we know the difference between right and wrong. Even if it pains us. It's a part of life." 

"It pains us no more. You took out the pain." Peter interrupted 

"You cheated life, Mr. Charles." Wanda added playfully 

"Yes, well..." Charles sighed with a small chuckle, his eyes watery. "I just couldn't stand it..." he confessed 

The three talked all morning. Charles explained them everything. It was a genuine heart to heart and all three opened up to one another. The kids shared their most private thoughts and feelings about what happened in the camps; things they weren't comfortable talking to Erik about, they entrusted Charles without a hesitation. In return Charles told them about his own childhood struggles as a mutant boy - most of it anyway, in a way that won't scare them but without omitting anything. Turned out there were lots of things the children felt they could relate to and in a strange way Charles felt just as relieved to hear that as hey were. It was like being with the friends he never had while growing up. He told them about Raven and as expected Wanda and Peter were beyond themselves when they heard that Mystique - their hero - was Charles' sister. 

They shared, cried a little, laughed a little, all in one long but meaningful conversation. This morning Charles Xavier woke up hoping to avoid talking to Wanda and Peter about any of this. By noon Charles Xavier was happier than ever that this conversation happened.


	17. Don't Get Too Comfortable When Everything is Quiet

Waiting. Everything now was waiting. The days were peaceful and pleasant enough and yet heavy with tension. Erik had sent a letter to Angel Salvatore as soon as the post station opened, he also checked for a reply every single day. There were still no news from Mystique. Charles was trying not to look too discouraged by the lack of news but it still stung every time Erik returned with this apologetic expression on his face as if he felt it was his fault Raven hadn't replied yet. 

Charles wound was getting better and it allowed him to walk around the home, stay with the children and help around the house. Erik still insisted Charles stayed with them and even though it felt wonderful being part of Erik's family, Charles still felt uneasy. He was mostly concerned about his sister and her well being but he was also aware that something else was troubling Erik.  _Shaw._

"I know you're thinking about him." Charles said one evening after the kids went to bed. For the last four days it became a tradition of sorts that they play chess and chat before turning in themselves. 

"You reading my mind then?" Erik said, a strange melancholy smile gracing his tired face. 

Charles shook his head quickly. "No. I'd never do that. I wouldn't violate your mind, Erik. I promised and I intend to keep that promise." It was important Erik knew that. Erik's trust meant so much to Charles, he didn't want to lose it. "You're projecting sometimes and that's harder to block." he admitted. "And recently it's all about Shaw." 

"I'm projecting?" Erik asked as if that was all he took from Charles' words. "What does that mean? How am I doing it?" 

"You're thinking too loudly about something and it sounds like screaming in my head." Charles chuckled. Explaining how his mutation worked was new to him. Mostly because he spent all his life hiding or suppressing it. It felt liberating to be able to tell Erik these things now and Erik seemed so fascinated with it - Charles could feel the warmness of Erik's emotions radiating from him every time - it made Charles feel calm, relaxed, pleased. 

"Ah." Erik said, letting out a breath. "I'm sorry for screaming in your head then." 

Charles chuckled. "It's not that unpleasant when you do it." he blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Realizing how weird his words sounded, Charles bit his lower lip instantly, feeling himself blushing as he looked up at Erik sheepishly. Apparently Erik didn't find anything peculiar about the slip, considering it perfectly normal between friends, because his gaze was still focused on the chess board, undisturbed by Charles' words.

Charles smiled in relief. "You seem really worried about Shaw." he tried to guide the conversation back to where he wanted it. "Do you want to talk about it or just think about it?" 

Erik chuckled, shaking his head and moving a chess piece. "I guess I should talk about it and avoid thinking too loudly." 

"It's really not a problem for me, I like your voice in my head." He bit his lip again. What was wrong with him tonight? "I mean, it's nice using my mutation a bit more than usual again. I haven't done this since Raven... We used to talk telepathically a lot." 

"That sounds fun." Erik smiled. "Can we try it?" 

"Um... sure. If you really want that..." Charles said, sitting up in his chair, feeling a strange flutter of anticipation in his stomach. 

"I do, yes." Erik said "It would be just talking, right? I mean... you won't be overwhelmed with... my feelings?" 

Despite his obvious curiosity about telepathic communication Erik seemed strangely flustered at the prospect of Charles getting inside his head. It took the telepath a moment to realize what the issue might be. 

"Oh!" he said "Oh, no. Don't worry about that. I won't peek or snoop inside your mind or anything of the sort." he reassured "But if you prefer, you can lock anything you'd rather I don't see safely away by imagining a door and then locking it. That would build a shield, a wall if you will, and keep those thoughts protected." 

Charles smiled to further ease Erik. 

"I wasn't worried you'd snoop." Erik said. "I don't have anything about my life to hide from you. Maybe just a few feelings I'm not proud of." 

Erik looked down as if avoiding Charles' gaze. Obviously a tough man like that was nervous about showing Charles that he's human after all, that he has fears and hopes and weaknesses. That must be it. And it was understandable. Once again Charles reassured Erik and they could begin.

"Let me know if I'm doing it wrong." Erik said, eyes fixed on Charles'. 

"I'm sure you'll do it just fine." Charles grinned and put his fingers on his temple. "Ready?" 

Erik nodded. 

And there he was. Establishing a telepathic connection between Erik and himself. The feeling was sublime! Erik's mind was different than Ravens, but not in a bad way. In fact, feeling Erik this close mentally deeply moved Charles. All that complicated, rich mind was now entangled with Charles' own. He was surrounded with feelings and thoughts but he quickly took hold of himself before he could have a clear picture of them all. He owed Erik the privacy of his own mind so he would not read Erik now, he would only talk to him. So once he steadied himself and his racing heart, he spoke inside Erik's head. 

 _"Hello."_ A smile appeared on his lips as he observed the expression of Erik's face. 

Erik gasped, grinning excitedly. "I can hear you!" he said out loud and Charles had to laugh. 

 _"I know you can. The trick is to **think** back at me, not talk." _ he continued reassuringly  _"Come on. Use your mind instead. I know you can do it! Talk to me, Erik! Mind to mind! Soul to soul!"_

For a few long moments there were only chaotic thoughts coming from Erik's mind. An unshaped rumble words and concepts. Nothing quite clear yet. As if Erik was too overcome with emotions to actually form a proper reply in his head and send it in Charles' direction. 

 _"Calm your mind."_ Charles continued, giving Erik a warm smile and sending feelings of relaxation towards him.  _"It's good. You're doing good. You're getting there."_

Erik frowned, struggling some more to send his thoughts back to Charles properly, not as thoughts but as conversation. 

 _"Don't worry. It's okay. It takes time."_  Charles continued to reassure him  _"Clear your mind and think. Then send it in my direction and--"_

_"I'm trying, Charles!"_

It was a growl in Charles' head. Erik trying hard to make his mind do as he ordered and getting frustrated with his failed attempts, not realizing at first that he had succeeded this time. 

Charles grinned at him.  _"Very well! You're a fast learner."_ he said  _"And you just scowled at me telepathically for the first time."_

They both laughed. 

 _"I'm sorry about that..."_  Erik sent towards Charles, doing it with ease already. The mental voice still a bit weak and unsteady but getting stronger, firmer. _"I just wanted to do it right."_

 _"You **are** doing it right." _Charles assured him, truly impressed.

 _"It comes easier to me now."_ Erik said in return.  _"I'm almost surprised I couldn't get it right from the start."_

_"Pft! It took Raven a day to do a word! It's a matter of finding the right muscle, so to speak. Once you get the hang of it, you can't unknow it. And trust me, you're doing great!"_

A pleased smile spread on Erik's face before he could contain himself again. 

 _"Did you miss it? Using your mutation like that?"_ Erik's eyes were warm on Charles' face and Charles nodded, blushing a little under his gaze. 

_"Yes. Yes, I missed it. I really did!" he replied._

_"How does it feel?"_

_"It's like... Like I'm back home. Like I'm me again. Like everything's finally right."_

Erik bobbed his head with another smile.  _"It feels the same when I use my mutation. The feeling of the metal, the ability to feel it move and shape itself by my command... We shouldn't be forced to hide, Charles."_

Charles sighed, looking back down at the chess board.  _"I know. But it's difficult."_

_"I never said it wasn't."_

_"There's nothing we can do about this, Erik. All we can do is try to protect ourselves and the people we love."_

_"Wrong. There's more we could do. We could fight! Your sister's doing it already! Maybe we should join her."_

Charles frowned.  _"What Raven does is remarkable. But it's still not the right way. She's reduced herself to an outlaw when she should be a hero. This kind of life is putting her in danger all the time. It's not safe for her."_

_"I understand you're afraid for her, Charles, but don't ever think she made the wrong choice. Mystique did more for mutants than any of us!"_

Charles shifted in his chair, feeling uncomfortable. Erik's eyes were hard on him, waiting for him to agree but he couldn't. 

_"I know what she did for you and your children, Erik. I'm so grateful that she did it. But once I'm reunited with my sister, I'm taking her home. Whether home is back in England or here in Carlton, I will keep her safe this time. No more danger."_

Erik huffed. Irritation slipping into his mental voice.  _"She has a right to make her own choices, Charles."_

_"I know that. And I'll help her make the right choices."_

_"You're not her father, Charles!"_

_"I'm her brother! To me Raven is--"_

" **Mystique!** "  Erik corrected out loud. 

For a moment they were just staring at one another intensely, lips pursed. There was this crease in Erik's forehead that reminded Charles of the first days of their acquaintance, when most of their conversations were disagreements. 

"We're back to arguing apparently." Charles finally replied, deliberately not using his telepathy anymore. 

"It's been a while since we had an argument, I guess it was about time." Erik replied vocally as well.  

Charles sighed loudly. "I guess we have to accept that we'll always disagree about certain things." 

"Doesn't this make our conversations more interesting?" Erik asked, the thin line of his lips quirking up a bit into something like a smirk.

Charles had to agree that Erik did have a point there. Even those first days there was something stirring inside Charles whenever he spoke to Erik. 

"I guess that's true." he admitted 

 _"And today we had our first telepathic argument."_ Erik sent his thoughts toward Charles. 

A small smile crept on Charles' face. _"I'm impressed! You're already communicating quite well!"_

_"I'm a fast learner."_

They chuckled, the tension disappearing from the room once again. 

 _"So will you now tell me about what's worrying you, my friend?"_ Charles pressed 

 _"You really insist on us talking about this?"_ Erik raised an eyebrow 

 _"That's what I've been hoping to achieve, yes."_ Charles replied 

 _"You want another argument?"_ Erik asked teasingly

_"I'm serious,_ _Erik. I consider you my closest friend. For the time I've known you, you've helped me more than you can imagine, you know all these things about me and you accept me as I am... We disagree sometimes but we respect one another. I've opened up to you more than I have to anyone in years! I believe there is a bond between us, Erik, a strong friendship and that means so much to me. Please allow me to share your fears with you. You're no longer alone, my friend! You have me, I assure you! Let me share your burden! What's worrying you?"_

Erik furrowed his brow as if he was still considering if he should discuss this. It wasn't like Erik was in the habit of opening up to people but apparently Charles was the exception. 

 _"It's too quiet."_ he finally said _"It's been almost two weeks since Shaw attacked you and yet he's done nothing since."_ he finally said  _"Too quiet means something's up. Like before a storm. I'm sure he's planning something."_  

 _"He wants to take us by surprise."_ Charles replied. 

_"I-- I'm afraid he'd hurt you. I don't want that to happen..."_

A warm feeling spread all over Charles' body and he melted into a smile. "It'll be alright, Erik. I just..." it was difficult to say it so he thought it instead. _"I_ _wish you'd let me move back to my own place. I don't want to endanger Wanda,_ _Peter and you."_

 _"Together we stand, Charles."_ Erik thought back, leaning in towards Charles so their faces were really close now, his intense eyes piercing through Charles' inmost soul as they usually did recently. "This is your battle as much as it is mine." 

Charles opened his mouth to say something when suddenly he grimaced, his hand going up to his temple. 

"What's the matter?" Erik asked, worriedly. "Charles! Speak to me!" 

"We're in trouble!" he managed, getting up from his chair. "A passer-by just saw a-- someone like us... a mutant! Erik! Quick! The children!" 

Charles' voice was muffled by a loud bang, like an explosion, followed by screams and lots of flames, dust and smoke. The last thing Charles remembered was Erik reaching out for him as fire surrounded them. 


	18. These Things That Just Happen To Us Whether We Like It Or Not

"Erik! Erik, run! We need to save the kids! Erik!" Charles woke up screaming. He was covered in sweat and dust, his entire body trembling out of control as he panted, eyes wide and terrified. 

"Shh, it's okay, it's alright, Charles. Calm down, you're safe. Breathe." 

A hand rested on his forehead, then slid up to stroke his dump hair. The voice sounded familiar, soothing, but it took Charles a moment to realize whom it belonged to. 

"Hank?" he frowned, still feeling dizzy and trying to focus and make sense of things. What was Hank doing here? 

The terrible unending ringing in his ears was piercing violently through his head, his mind and telepathy dulled as well as his other senses.

"It's alright, Charles. You're safe." Hank's voice said.

Charles closed and opened his eyes slowly, everything appearing in slow motion to him now, it was still so very confusing. 

"Hank... there was an explosion." he said, willing himself to sit up straight, to get up, to look for Erik. His entire body was hurting and Hank quickly but firmly pushed him back onto the bed.

"You must lie down, Charles." his friend insisted.

"No, you don't understand." Charles protested weakly. "I need to find Erik and the kids! The fire... They might get hurt..." 

"You're safe, Charles. You at my home. Wanda and Peter Lehnsherr are with Moira in the other bedroom. They're alive and okay. Only a few bruises but nothing serious."

Charles finally relaxed, letting himself drop back down onto the pillows without any resistance. A wave of relief ran through his body and he smiled breathlessly. "Thank God..." he whispered. And then looked up at Hank again. "What about _Erik_? Is he with Moira too?" 

"Umm, Erik?" 

Hank sounded puzzled, his voice a little strained, and Charles quickly realized his slip - calling Erik by his first name was one thing but on top of that he'd uttered the word in a way that made it sound so personal, so  _intimate_. It made it sound like a prayer and that bordered on dangerous. The mere thought of it making Charles' heart pound like crazy in his chest.

"Mr. Lehnsherr." Charles added quickly, blushing only slightly. "I meant Mr. Lehnsherr." 

Hank was silent, his face seemed worried and Charles felt a cold shiver down his spine, his throat tight not letting him breathe as if he was being suffocated. 

"Where is Erik?" he repeated, panic seeping through his voice. 

Hank started fidgeting in suspicious silence. It was impossible to explain the dreadful emotions that this silence evoked in Charles. 

"No. Hank, please, tell me he's alive!" Charles gasped, tears rolling down his cheeks before he could even realize he was crying. 

"Calm down, Charl--" 

"I can't bloody calm down until you tell me what happened to my friend!" Charles demanded. "So tell me! Please! Now! Just tell me... Where's Erik?" 

He was in no condition to control the desperation and dread in his voice. Nor did he want to - all he wanted now was to know if Erik was alright. 

"We're not sure." Hank replied quietly. "We don't know if Mr. Lehnsherr is dead or not. We couldn't find him. I'm sorry, Charles. We didn't even know he was in the house at the time of... I'm sorry."

Charles let out a pained gasp, running his trembling fingers through his damp with sweat hair. His breathing came in shallow, with difficulty, as if he was breathing only through sheer power of will. "No..." 

"I'm sorry, Charles. I know he was your friend." 

Charles kept shaking his head frantically, biting his lips as tears silently were rolling down his cheeks. 

"M-maybe he is still alive..." Hank tried to be positive, reaching out for Charles' hand but his friend only flinched. "Charles..." 

"Please, Hank. I want to be alone..." Charles whispered, avoiding Hank's eyes. He couldn't face anyone right now. He just wanted to grieve, hidden from the rest of the world. 

Hank let out a small sigh and reluctantly left.

Charles was finally alone with his thoughts. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing, employing all his strength to calm down. When he felt steady enough he reached for Erik's mind with his still shaky telepathy. If only he could find Erik's mind in the mess that he felt out there, it would be enough to give him hope that Erik was still alive, that all Charles had to do was locate him and bring him home. If only he can feel Erik's mind again...

The outside world was a vortex of thoughts and feelings, emotions that invaded Charles' mind, plunging inside Charles' head, almost deafening him. He hadn't done that since he was a young teen, always suppressing his mutation, always trying to cut it off from himself, cutting the voices out too, as if they were gangrenous. Letting all the voices in once again without his shields was painful but the sharp pain piercing through his head was worth it if there was a chance to find Erik.

There was no sign of Erik.

Charles tried again, harder.

Nothing.

A sharp pain pierced through Charles' chest.

He tried again! Erik _must be_ somewhere out there! Charles only needed to force his abilities more, to do better, to be better. Erik _has to be_ somewhere out there! He has to be because if he wasn't... If Charles couldn't feel Erik's mind... that could either mean that Erik was too far out of Charles' reach or-- or that Erik was dead...

He had pulled out Hank and Moira's memories of the event in hope to get some kind of clues. All he discovered was that both Hank and Moira were terrified when they saw the burning building, and relieved when they saw Charles, Wanda and Peter at a safe distance outside the house. Charles had no idea how they got outside when he clearly remembered being inside the house when the explosion happened. But he decided to leave this for later. He had after all fainted so maybe someone pulled him out while he was unconscious. But who? Could it be Erik? 

Another fruitless effort to find the blacksmith made Charles' heart sink but he kept trying for a good one hour before he had to stop to rest his powers and... and let another hurtful thought hit him hard. Peter and Wanda had no idea that Erik was missing... And now it would seem Charles was the one who had to break the news to them that their father... that Erik... Charles who himself felt so broken right now... he had to be the strong one and tell these dear, sweet children who had already lost their mother, and went through so much themselves... he had to tell them that their beloved father was probably dead too... 

He had no idea how to do that. He wasn't ready to do it. He wasn't ready to deal with it himself, let alone be there for two 10-year olds at this time of sorrow. But he had to. And postponing it would only make it worse. Charles knew well enough that learning the bad news was always better than not knowing at all and trying to figure things out on your own.

So he gave himself a short moment to pull himself together as much as he could and pushed himself up from the bed, making a few shaky steps with his weak legs. He was stumbling and waddling on his way to the bedroom where Moira was still looking after the kids. Charles tried to regain control over his facial expressions and knocked on the door. Moira opened it and let out a small shriek of surprise. 

"Charles! You're up? Already?" 

"I need to talk to Wanda and Peter? Please." was all he managed to say.

"Of course." Moira said, letting him in.

"Thank you." he nodded, eyes falling on the two kids, lying on the bed very much awake and looking back at him.

They were probably waiting for his explanation. These two - who only trusted their father, Mystique and Charles - needed to hear what was going on from  _Charles_ and _Charles alone_. To them everyone else was a potential threat.  

They trusted him and he... He just felt even worse because now guilt was added to the equation as well. The explosion was definitely no accident. It started down at Erik's shop from what Charles managed to find out so far but whoever provoked it knew well that only Charles, Erik and the kids would be in the building. It didn't take a genius to recognize Shaw's signature all over this _'incident'._ Shaw's people were after Charles and Erik and the kids had to suffer for it. Charles was the reason Erik was-- he was-- Erik was probably blown to pieces by a horrific explosion. It was hard to even think about it. As for Charles and the kids... It was a miracle that they survived this with nothing but a few bruises and scratches. It was a miracle they somehow appeared outside the burning house before it was too late... 

"I'll go get more fruits from the kitchen." Moira said, sensing that they needed some time alone. 

Charles gave her a grateful nod and looked back at the kids. He was trying to find something to say when Wanda beat him to it. 

"We're so glad you're okay, Mr. Charles!" she smiled at him. 

"We were so worried when you were unconscious..." Peter added.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I should've been there protecting you and instead I... "

Charles trailed off and furrowed his brow. Why were they both looking at him that way? And then he put two and two together, his mind suddenly catching up with something that was so obvious and yet Charles hadn't realized it earlier. "Peter...? How did we all got outside the house so fast?" 

A huge grin appeared across Peter's face, his eyes sparkling. Wanda was looking at her brother with silent admiration. Charles felt a warm wave of something that could only be described as fatherly affection. He melted into a soft smile. 

"Peter... You got us out, didn't you?" he finally said, overwhelmed with emotions. This young boy had used his mutation to drag his family and his teacher outside a burning house during an explosion. How heroic was that!? 

Peter blushed a little as he nodded with a smile, still not really sure what he should say. 

"You pulled out Wanda first because she was in the same room as you, and then you returned, _into the burning building_ , to save Erik and me..." Charles felt a tear sliding down his cheek as he looked at the memory inside Peter's head as if he were watching a play at the theater. He quickly wiped it away, not willing to worry the kids even more. "Thank you, Peter! That was a very remarkable thing you did. But so very dangerous! I would never have let you do that!" 

Peter chuckled and bit back his grin. 

"Well, Mr. Charles, you were unconscious and surrounded by flames so I guess Peter had no time to ask your permission." Wanda giggled

Charles laughed with them, as tears were falling down his eyes freely now. He couldn't help it. This was a huge step for both kids and Charles was so overcome with gratitude that they were both alive and well, that they managed to save themselves and even save him too that he could not really contain himself any longer. He pulled the twins into a tight hug and held them there for a few moments as if worried that if he let them go too soon his heart would burst. 

"Thank you! Both of you! You're so brave!" he whispered as he pressed kisses to their heads. "Your father would be just as proud of you as I am..." 

The last words brought him back to reality, to the delicate matter at hand. He still wasn't sure how exactly was he supposed to tell them that he had no idea where Erik was. But it was his time to be brave now. 

"About your father..." he said, pulling away so that he could look them in the eye. "I'm afraid he's..." 

"We know." Wanda interrupted. 

Charles blinked. "You do!?" She seemed too calm for someone who  _knew._ He furrowed his brows. "W-what, what exactly do you know, Wanda?"

"We know that he went after the bad guy." Wanda replied with the same strange calmness.  

But Charles could not be calm. Not when this was about Erik. "What!?" 

"I can explain." Peter said "When I helped daddy out of the fire, he was very scared for us, especially for you because you were unconscious. But when daddy knelt down to check your pulse and if you were still your breathing he saw the guy who had started the fire. So he told us to hide and take care of you, then he went after him." 

"He didn't..."

"He did."

"Alone? Against Shaw!?" Charles had a really hard time controlling his emotions now.

"He can take care of it. He promised he can." Wanda said.

 _Oh, Erik, you brave idiot! Why didn't you just leave it!? Why are you risking your life instead of letting it go?_  Charles couldn't lose Erik, he just couldn't!

"Are you alright, Mr. Charles?" Wanda and Peter were frowning at him confused. 

He bit his lip and then nodded, taking in a deep breath. "You'll have to stay with Miss Moira for a few days, okay?" 

"Why?" Wanda put her hands on her hips. 

"She'll take good care of you until I return." he replied

"You're going after daddy, aren't you?" Peter said 

"Yes." Charles swallowed. 

"You don't even know where he is!" Peter exclaimed. "You'll get lost! Or hurt!" 

"Thank you for your confidence in me." Charles said, almost amused. 

"Peter's right though!" Wanda intervened. "There's nothing you can do. Daddy would want you to be safe here with us. You're supposed to take care of  _us_ not go die there in the wilderness." 

"Well..." Charles muttered, a bit embarrassed because they were so much more rational than him right now. "I don't know  _yet_ but I can find out soon enough!" his hand lifted up to his head as he tapped two fingers to his temple. "I will sense his mind when I get closer. I can't now but that's because he's probably too far. But if I follow his tracks, I will eventually reach him." 

The twins crossed their arms. "Even if we accept this would work, you don't really expect us to wait for you here, do you?" 

"There's no time for this, Peter. You're staying with Moira." Charles insisted. 

"I'm the fastest guy in the world. I have plenty of time." Peter said, determinedly. "And I'm coming with you to save my dad." 

Wanda stepped up too. "I'm coming as well." she said. "We're not scared like before! We're mutants, we're gifted. That's what _you_ told us. You helped us learn about our powers and how to use them better; Mystique thought us to always do what's right! We think this is the right thing to do and we're doing it." 

Charles gave them a warm loving smile as he knelt before them. "What you're offering to do is wonderful and amazing but I cannot risk your safety. You two are too young to come with me." 

"We want to help." Peter said quietly but assured. "We couldn't do anything before... we need to now... we can. And it's important. Please don't stop us. We'll do it anyway but we'd rather be by your side and have your blessing than do it against your will and behind your back."  

Charles had no idea what lied ahead. The only thing he did know for certain was that it was dangerous. Very dangerous. Definitely not a place for kids. Charles wouldn't be surprised if following Erik led them to one of those laboratories where Peter and Wanda were imprisoned the first time. It would be traumatic to go back there, to see that place again. And yet, Erik's children seemed determined, confident like never before. Peter and Wanda wanted to face and defeat their fears. They didn't want to feel like helpless children anymore. And Charles could relate to that. He understood them! He's felt it on himself more than often enough to know the feeling. So maybe he wasn't thinking clearly but yet he heard himself say:

"Let's go get daddy then!" 


	19. When Fate Hits You Hard in the Face Punch Back

What was he thinking - off to face Shaw with two small kids to look after! He could barely look after himself or save Erik, let alone bring the kids along!

This was insane. He was insane. And yet here he was, sneaking into Miss Moira's kitchen, gathering provisions and whatever other things he thought might be helpful on this insane search. His fingers were nervously clutching the brown leather satchel that he was taking with him on this half-suicide mission. He wasn't afraid for himself, not really. He cared about Erik enough not to care about risking his own life. But taking Erik's children with him in the heart of danger, bringing them right to the one man Erik wanted as far away from them as possible, that was, to say the least, unsettling. Erik would probably be furious with Charles for it! Provided, of course, they even find Erik...

Charles was still kind of unstable in using his mutation after so many years of suppressing it. But he hoped with all his heart - oh, how he hoped - that it won't fail him! That his telepathy would sense Erik's mind and lead them to the right place! 

He did his best to avoid Hank and Moira. It was too difficult to explain to them where he was going but at the same time he didn't want to be forced to lie to them either. The best option was to simply hide. So he warned the kids to take a nice long nap during the day and get ready to go on their journey tonight! 

"So we're gonna sneak out?" Peter's eyes beamed at Charles.

Charles felt guilt rising in his chest - some teacher he was to them right now! Teaching the twins to lie and sneak out into the dark danger ahead. There was no going back though. They wouldn't let him go on his own, he wouldn't leave them behind so it still kind of worked out well. 

"We're not sneaking out, Peter, we're being strategic." Charles corrected.

Wanda and Peter chuckled amused and gazed at him fondly for a moment before Wanda placed a hand on his shoulder and said in the most patronizing voice she could muster:

"Yes, of course, Mr. Charles. We're being strategic." 

Charles sighed with a smile and rolled his eyes. He spent the rest of the day with Moira and Hank, trying not to act too suspicious. He put his telepathy at use to check if they suspected anything and with relief he discovered that they had no clue about his insane plan.

It was strange though how Hank's mind seemed to glow more than Moira's. It was the same with Raven and Erik and Peter and Wanda... their minds seemed more colourful than the rest. Charles decided to solve that mystery later. Now it was almost time...

When the clock struck 10 Charles showed his head inside Peter and Wanda's room and smiled nervously. 

"Ready?" he asked the kids.  

It was a redundant question - the two little rascals were born ready! They jumped off their beds, already dressed and prepared, taking out little satchels of their own. Charles looked at them surprised because they were actually good at this. 

Here was the right moment to say that Charles was the worst when it came to tracking people down, or surviving in the wild, or any type of traveling of this nature. He had some survival instincts, naturally, a lot of theoretical knowledge too, but was this enough to survive the Wild West? It seemed like the kids were more prepared in this than he was.

"We used to travel a lot with daddy after mummy died." Wanda replied to his silent question. 

"Oh."

"Yeah, we moved a lot." Peter added with a nod. 

"I see..." Charles bit his lip. 

"So don't worry." Wanda smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, don't worry! We can take care of ourselves on a trip." Peter added proudly. 

Charles felt a great swell of affection for these brave kids that have been through so much. He smiled fondly at them and gave them a tight hug before letting them go and signaling them to follow him out of the house.

The three were very quiet. It was ridiculous that Charles - a grown man, a school teacher - was now sneaking out as if he were one of Peter and Wanda's classmates. Naturally, he could always use his telepathy to distract Moira, Hank or anyone really, in case it was necessary. But he still preferred not to do that. Somehow it felt wrong. Besides, be was saving his abilities for tracking down Erik.

"You seem nervous, Mr. Charles." Wanda noticed as the three of them were hurriedly walking away from the house. 

Charles swallowed. "I am worried... I-- I don't want to fail..." he said quietly and felt Wanda's tiny hand squeezing his. "Thank you." he smiled and reminded himself not to lose hope. He hired a horse and a small wagon and off they went out of town. 

~*~

The moon was the only bright source of light in the night. Around was only silence. Heavy footsteps in boots approached slowly towards the sleeping figures around the small campfire. Eyes flickered in the moonlight as they examined the face of the young man, curled up at a safe distance from the fire. Two children were resting nearby, vast asleep as well. The burly stranger's attention was brought back to the sleeping man. His large body hoovered over him as his hands carefully reached down to touch when... 

Charles felt a stranger's presence and instantly woke up, eyes opened wide in terror as he opened his mouth to scream. The man's strong hand quickly covered his mouth before he could cry out for the kids to run. Charles never felt happier about being a telepath. As he struggled to free himself from the man's tight grasp, Charles set his power free and entered the attacker's head. He sent a wave of raw telepathy in the direction of the man's mind, a bit too forcefully, but protecting the children was a priority at the moment. 

It worked! The burly man winced in pain, releasing Charles and stumbling a few steps away from him, as his hands went up to clench tightly at his head. 

"S-stop it! Charles! Charles, stop! Please!" the man cried, his face twisted in agony. 

Charles made sure to keep the kids asleep while he dealt with the danger on his own, when froze, face paling. He had  _recognized_ the man's voice! 

He shuddered. Suddenly it wasn't an unfamiliar voice anymore. Suddenly it wasn't an unfamiliar  _mind_  anymore... 

"Raven...?" he whispered, staring as the burly man before him transformed into Raven's natural blue form in a second. The pain from the telepathic shock wave must be preventing her from sustaining the same disguise for long. But it was undoubtedly _her!_  "Raven!" Charles exclaimed, jumping up on his feet instantly. "Oh, my God, Raven! It's really you!" 

Raven nodded, hands still clenching her throbbing head. 

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were a killer!" Charles said, pulling her into a tight hug and telepathically sending calmness and affection in her direction to fix the damage.

"It's okay, I'm fine." she panted, voice a little strained but he could feel that her mind and body were relaxing now. The pain from the previous telepathic hit was slowly subsiding. 

"I'm so very sorry, Raven! Had I known it was you-- I've been looking  _everywhere_ for you! I was so worried! I missed you so much!"

He was blabbering now. The excitement of seeing his sister again after all this time was too overwhelming to contain. Raven had to roll her eyes with a fond smile on her face. 

"It's alright, Charles." she said. "I'm just glad you're finally not suppressing your mutation!" 

Charles blushed a little. He was using his powers again because of Erik; Erik inspired him to stop hiding from himself and now the mere thought of the man had strange effects on Charles. He hoped Raven didn't notice his flushed cheeks in the dark because it would've been difficult to explain to her what he himself couldn't quite understand. 

She sat down near the fire, resting in silence for a moment, trying to get her breath back, waiting for the pain in her head to be completely gone. Charles sat next to her, waiting patiently and glancing at the kids to be sure they're alright and sleeping peacefully. It'd be some surprise for them to see their hero Mystique when they wake up in the morning! Charles could imagine their excited faces and it put a soft smile on his face. 

Raven looked at him, still propping her head with one hand, and chuckled quietly. 

"Honestly, you were the last person I expected to see here. What are you even doing here?"

"Oh!" Charles smiled softly. "It's a long story..." 

~*~

Erik regained consciousness again. For a moment he was disoriented, not really sure where he was exactly. Then it all slowly came back to him.

The explosion. The helplessness. The fear that they were all going to die and he couldn't react in time. Charles choking on smoke and dropping unconscious on the floor. The flames gradually taking over everything around them.

And then suddenly Peter pulling him and Charles out of the building in the blink of an eye, away from the fire, saving them all. The cool night air on his face. Breathing properly again. The happy relief when he saw Peter and Wanda were alive and safe. The proud smirk on Peter's face, no doubt pleased with himself. Wanda trying to catch her breath and giving her brother a look. 

And then his eyes fell on Charles, spread on the ground, eyes closed, lips parted a little. Erik felt terror rising in the pit of his stomach at the sight. He instantly knelt down in the dirt, checking for Charles' pulse and breathing. 

"He's alive! He's okay..." Erik breathed out, relief settling in his stomach at this discovery. "He's alright..." he pressed their foreheads together and took a few deep breaths. 

Peter and Wanda knelt down too and smiled. 

Erik looked up a bit to smile back at them and then...

There  _he_ was... 

A tall red-faced man with a big hat, watching calmly as Erik's home was burning in front of his eyes. Suspiciously calm, Erik thought. While other people were running out of their own homes, gathering on the street in front of Erik's house - terrified, screaming, calling for help, trying to help - amidst all this chaos one man just stood there, cool and unimpressed, not scared, not even surprised, unbothered by the horror of the fire.

No doubt,  _he_ was responsible for it! _He_ was one of Shaw's men! Erik felt a wave of anger and disgust. It made him clench his fists and stare in the direction of the man with contempt. 

The man moved and their eyes met - Erik's piercing like hot iron. From the distance Erik couldn't tell what emotion the red-faced man's face conveyed but he saw that he made a determined step towards them. It made Erik's blood freeze at first and then boil with rage! He was after them! Or after Charles at least. At this moment it didn't matter. Threatening Charles was the same as threatening his family! Either ways Erik would not let that man get near _his family_! Yes, in his distress Erik didn't even realize he had thought of Charles as a part of his family. The thought didn't surprise him, it felt natural that Charles is family to him. He didn't even think about it.

He placed Charles' head gently on the ground and raised back onto his feet with cold determination. 

"Make sure Charles is alright, kids." Erik said with a quick glance at the three of them. "I'll return shortly." 

Those were the last words he told his children. A false promise. A promise he couldn't keep. Because the moment he reached the red-faced man, the moment Erik grabbed the man by the collar and hissed in his face  _'You want Charles Xavier? Well, you got **me**. Now get lost!' _ , the moment the words were out of his mouth both of Erik and the red-faced man disappeared into nothingness, puffed away to somewhere that was definitely not Carlton. 

It happened so quick, Erik didn't even realize they were someplace else until it was too late. The man was obviously a teleporter. Erik had heard of those. He wished he knew about that earlier. 

"Where the hell have you brought me?" Erik groaned but was soon surrounded by a group of other mutants who were trying to restrain him.

Erik groaned and fought like a wild animal, viciously, using both his fists and his mutation. And maybe he stood a chance to prevail despite the unfair fight, until he felt something heavy drop on his head. 

"Welcome to the Farmhouse, Charles Xavier." were the last words Erik heard before losing consciousness. 

Now his head was throbbing. There was a slick trail of dried blood on his face and his vision was all blurry. Sharp pain accompanied even the slightest of movements. He was alone.

Slowly he started to make sense of his surroundings. He was in some sort of a dungeon. At least that's what it felt like with the cold stone walls and the dim light, with the weird restrain on his neck and the metal shackles around his writs...  _Metal,_ Erik thinks. Well, how unfortunate for his attackers. Even in this state Erik cannot help the smirk on his face as he employs his power to set himself free.  _It's too easy!_

A moment later, though, his smirk slowly fades away, replaced by panic. The metal did not as much as move despite Erik's efforts. In fact, it felt different, faint, almost absent. At first Erik thought it was his exhaustion or because of the beating he got earlier. But now another fear settled in the pit of his stomach. He remembered hearing Charles speak of a strange blockage that Shaw was able to muster against Charles' telepathy. If Shaw was able to create something powerful enough to keep a telepath out, maybe he had created something similar that was able to block Erik's mutation too. In that case, Erik was utterly helpless now - beaten up, bleeding, in pain, chained like a wild animal, exhausted and desperate, useless without his mutation, helpless without the support of metal. That realization was enough to break him. The only hope he had left now was that his children were safe and sound with Charles, away from this madhouse! Away from the _'Farmhouse'_ , as the red-skinned man had called it... 

Red skin... At first, in the night, Erik had assumed the man was an Indian - it was hard to tell in the dark. But when he saw him in the dungeon, right before getting hit on the head and beaten up, he could swear the guy's face was actually red like a rose.

Could it be that... perhaps that man was a mutant too?

A mutant helping Shaw torture other mutants? That was disgusting! Impossible! What kind of a person would do that? Maybe Shaw had some way of forcing the man to work for him. Maybe he was a victim as well? That would explain why a mutant would turn against his own kind. If that was the case, Erik stood a chance. Maybe he could talk to that red-faced man, convince him to help him escape and then bring help. Erik's mind was working hard on alternative ways to get away from here, ways that did not include him using metal because that was obviously out of the question for now. 

If only he'd known what was it that blocked his mutation... Did they inject something into him while he was unconscious? Was that it? Did they used some type of special poison that only affected his powers? He hoped its effects weren't permanent. Erik had no way of knowing what happened to him or how and if it could be reversed. 

He could hardly feel his arms anymore, hanging on the chains like a sack of potatoes, swinging a little every now and then. His legs were too weak to support his weight. They were trembling, it was ridiculous how weak he felt! He was afraid of losing consciousness again because he  _wanted to watch_ , he wanted to know what else they were going to do to him. He had to know... His children went through similar things, he thought. So many other mutant brothers and sisters had to endure even more. How many of them were in this Farmhouse now? How many were still suffering?

Erik was lucky compared to others. He'd heard stories from Mystique. He knew what horrors were happening here. Mystique was right! They had to fight! It was the only way. They all had to stand up to Shaw and the likes of him and fight for their freedom, for their lives, for their future, for their children... Something had to be done! He cursed himself for hiding all this time, for not participating actively, even though he knew he had his reasons to hide - he wanted to keep his children safe, as far away from danger as possible. Fat lot of good that did to them! His children were _not_ safe in a world like that! They were mutants, they were different and for as long as Erik has known humans persecuted everyone different. They weren't safe and they never would be until mutants take control of their own fate. Until they stop taking the punches and punch back instead! 

He was clenching his fists tightly without even realizing it, til the pain became too strong to ignore. He tried to relax his muscles. He'd be needing them later if he was to run away from here. Mystique managed to do it, so he'd definitely try as well! And he wasn't leaving alone either, he was taking every tortured mutant in this bloody Farm with him! 

The sound of an unlocking door interrupted his thoughts. Then he saw the red-faced man entering first, followed by a new face, a smirking face. 

"Azazel, what made you think this is Charles Xavier?" the man with the smirking face said, his voice calm but his words burning. 

Erik's breath hitched. He had recognized the smirking face from the mental image Charles had shown him days ago. It was Sebastian Shaw himself! 


	20. Destiny Will Bring Us Together

"I asked a question, Azazel?" Shaw continued with the same deceptive calmness he apparently used whenever he was trying to intimidate someone. "Who is the idiot that made you believe  _this_ was Xavier?" 

"No one, sir. I did that on my own." Azazel said, raising his hand slightly then pulling it back down by his side, realizing it was a stupid thing to take credit for. "I mean..." 

"I don't want to know what you mean, Azazel, I wanted the job done well!" Shaw raised his voice now, his face enraged. "You failed me." 

Erik witnessed as the burly man flinched, actually scared of Sebastian Shaw. Erik couldn't understand why. Shaw was just a man! Surely not  _that_ terrifying, despite his sick mind. It was unbelievable that this bulky guy would look so...  _frightened..._ of Shaw. 

"He was in the same building!" the red-faced man - Azazel - said defensively. 

Shaw lifted a finger at Azazel in a silencing gesture and the man instantly quieted down. "Shhh, I'll deal with you later." he all but whispered. Then he faced Erik again and smirked. "What do we have here? You're a mutant, I know that much. Who are you?" 

"Fuck you!" Erik groaned, investing all the rage he had stored in for Shaw in these two words. 

Shaw chuckled amused. "Oh, I like your spirit. But I'm afraid I'll have to break it in order to get the information I need. So. Better just talk to me like a good mutant boy. Who are you?" 

"I already told you to fuck off."

Erik could be stubborn. Oh, Erik could be _very_ stubborn! He despised this man! This man abducted his kids! This man whose twisted mutant farmhouses tortured hundreds of mutant brothers and sisters! Erik wouldn't even waste his spit on him!

"Hmm." Shaw said, furrowing his brow. "In that case, we'll have to spend some more time together. I guess you need a...  _different approach._ " 

~*~

"I cannot believe we're on a rescue mission with Mystique!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. 

"Whenever there's trouble, I'm there, kid." Raven chuckled at him, messing up his hair. "But I too can't believe Charles actually brought you two with him." 

It was meant as a subtle criticism but Charles couldn't bring himself to frown at it. 

"Seriously, Charles, bringing the kids with you?" she continued a little quieter when Peter returned to Wanda, riding her small horse ahead of Charles and Raven. "What were you thinking? This is dangerous." 

"They wanted to come." Charles replied simply. 

"So you just let them? Wow. You suck as a caretaker." 

He had to laugh, he missed her teasing.

"This is funny to you?" Raven went on.

She had assumed the human face she used back in England - a young blonde girl with rosy cheeks and bright smile. Charles was smiling warmly at her as the four of them were crossing the prairie. It was pleasant to see her like that and feel at home, or as close to home as either of them could feel. 

Raven noticed the way Charles was looking at her and rolled her eyes at him. "What?" she chuckled. 

"I just... I was so worried about you." Charles managed, still too overcome with emotions.

This earned him another eye roll from his  sister. 

"I know, Charles. You made it more than clear." Raven said. "You're forgetting that I'm the more adventurous of the two of us. I was busy. I couldn't just abandon everyone and go hide at home. I had to fight." He nodded. He knew she was right. "Besides," she continued, shrugging. "That mansion was never my home. Not really." 

"I know." Charles said quietly. "It never was mine either." 

She squeezed his hand lightly in hers. "I'm glad you're finally admitting that." 

He looked at her again to see her face smiling at him affectionately as they continued riding side by side, the kids on a safe distance ahead of them. 

"It's good you're out here, living, instead of hiding in that bubble world of yours." she clarified further on. 

Charles sighed. There was nothing to say to that. 

"Do you like it here?" she asked, concerned. "I mean, you mentioned that you're a school teacher now. Do you like that?" 

"Oh, I do! It's wonderful to be able to help." he said. "Although some were reluctant to accept that help. But still, it's good." 

"You always did love to offer your help." she grinned. "And that's what you're doing now too, isn't it? Helping Erik - another mutant - for the sake of these kids? That's lovely and very noble, Charles." 

It was an innocent enough question. Why was Charles' heart suddenly pounding so hard inside his chest? 

"I want Erik to be safe..." he mused. 

He was too nervous to look at Raven this time, not quite sure if she won't just read right through him if she could see his eyes. Just mentioning Erik's name was enough to bring blush to his cheeks. It was ridiculous, he reminded himself once again, but that did little to diminish his flush. 

"I'm surprised at you, Charles. Playing the hero like that." Raven teased him again. 

"I'm not playing the hero, Raven." he almost pouted. 

"What do you call this then? First you come here looking for me, and now you're off to save Erik? That sounds pretty heroic to me." 

"You're my sister, of course I came here looking for you. And Erik... he's my--" he bit his lip nervously. "He's my _friend_ and I can't abandon him! He's done so much for me already. He understands me, Raven. He's always there for me. I'm happy I met him." 

He finally gathered the courage to lift his head again only to see Raven looking at him kind of funny. "You really care about him very much, don't you, Charles?"

Her voice was tender, understanding, _knowing_. Charles blushed and bit his lip. Did Raven _know_ _?_ Did he incidentally give away what he never dared admit even to himself? 

Out loud he only replied softly. "Of course."

"We'll save him. I  _promise."_ she smiled, tapping him on the shoulder, then speaking louder so that the kids could hear too. "We'll save Erik and bring him home! We'll fight!" 

"Yeah! We'll fight like you do, Mystique!" Wanda repeated enthusiastically, jumping closer to them and looking at Raven with admiration. "I wanna be like you!" 

Raven chuckled fondly. "Aww, you should be like yourself, dear. That'd be so much better." she said and then continued in a more business-like manner. "We'll walk a bit longer and then we'll take a small break to eat. Got it?"

Both Peter and Wanda stood at attention on their small horses. "Yes, Mystique!" they said enthusiastically. 

All the while Charles was trying hard to get any sort of telepathic signal from Erik. He never stopped, even with all the excitement of finding Raven again he was still searching for Erik's mind, his own mind always alert. It was all in vain. Charles' fear of failure was rising stronger from the pit of his stomach but he pushed it aside, concentrating on Erik's mind instead. 

Raven pulled him out of his concentration.  

"These kids are so cute." she smiled. "Erik's a lucky guy to have them." 

Charles was about to smile in return and agree but suddenly his mind was pierced by a sharp pain. It caused him to flinch and lose control over his horse. 

"Charles?" 

The rains slipped through his fingers as the horse became more agitated by Charles' screaming. He gripped his head tightly with both hands and fell down on the ground with a loud thump. 

"Charles! Charles, what's wrong?" he heard Raven's voice from a distance, not able to concentrate on it at all.

His bleary vision showed his sister getting off her horse and rushing to help him, as did Peter and Wanda. He wanted to tell them not to worry - it was alright, everything was alright - but instead he could only curl on himself in the dirt and cry out loud at the pain in his head. 

"Argh!" he gasped, eyes going wide. "Pain! So much pain!" His face twisted in agony as hot tears started rolling down his cheeks on their own volition. "He's in so much pain!" 

"Who?" Raven kept asking, trying to help Charles and unable to. "Who's in pain? Is it--?" 

Another loud scream from Charles and then  _"Erik!"_

~*~

Erik was slipping in and out of consciousness for hours now, both physically and mentally exhausted from the torture he was subjected to. But his inner strength did not allow him to break, nor did his love for his family. He clenched his teeth, accepting everything they threw at him without giving Shaw the satisfaction of getting the information he needed out of him. Erik was a stubborn man, a very very stubborn man, and Sebastian Shaw was only beginning to realize that about his new victim. 

He was left alone in the dark cell for a while -- he had no idea for how long exactly because he lost all perception of time by now. All he knew was that very soon they'll come back, to torture him again, to abuse him again, to try to break him. He welcomed that moment with a sort of gloating dread. Dread because of the more pain he had to endure, but gloating because they still needed him to talk which meant they didn't have their hands on Charles yet. 

The door opened once again and the big red guy entered. Erik tried to chuckle and roll his eyes at Azazel. It was a poor attempt in the condition Erik was in but still. 

"You still haven't given up?" he said to Azazel, his voice weak and almost cracking; still there was firmness about it despite everything. "I'm not telling you anything. You might as well just kill me." 

Azazel shook his head, closing the door behind himself. "I have no intention of killing you." he said and rushed towards Erik to untie him.

Erik frowned. "What are you do-- Mystique..." he whispered. Their eyes met briefly and Azazel's turned yellow for a moment, enough to reassure Erik it was really her.  _She_ had came here to save him like she saved his children before. Erik felt a swell of gratitude inside him. She truly was an amazing person -  _just like her brother,_ Erik thought, smiling a little at the thought of Charles. 

He did his best to hold himself up, to not just drop his weight down on the ground when the shackles were no longer holding him. But his arms and legs were numb and he hardly had any control over them.

Mystique's disguise was slowly fading away, revealing her true form.

"Shaw still uses the same tricks, I see." She huffed to herself. "The shackles are blocking out our powers. But don't worry, once you're free you can use your abilities again."

Erik nodded, doing his best to ignore the remarkable compilation of pains in his body. 

"Come on." She tapped him on the shoulder, throwing his arm over her shoulders to help him walk. "Charles is waiting for us."

Erik gave her a surprised look. "Charles?" He asked, not quite following.

"Yes. He led us all here. I didn't know where Shaw's new farmhouse was but Charles sensed your mind."

Erik felt something warm, pleasant and powerful settle in his heart. Charles had come for him. It was so logical that he would and at the same time so exceptional that he did.

"No time for daydreaming, Lehnsherr. Help me with those long legs of yours!" Mystique reminded him and he tried walking again.

"Did anyone see you coming?" he asked with effort. 

"No. Charles shielded us just in case." She said and Erik felt proud all the sudden -- _Charles can do that? Yes, Charles can do that!_

They got out of the cell, Mystique shifting back into Azazel's form, and leading him down the damp moldy corridor.

 _"Erik? Erik, can you hear me?"_  Charles' voice sounded in his head. It was a good feeling, familiar and peaceful. 

 _"I can indeed, my friend."_ Erik thought back at him, like they've practiced.

_"Are you alright? Erik... tell me if you're alright!"_

All that worry in Charles' mental voice, all the friendly kindness that hit Erik like a tide wave. It was almost too much and at the same time, it was exactly what Erik needed to give him more strength. 

 _"I'm alive. I'm alright."_ he replied. It wasn't completely true, Erik did have some injuries that would probably take a while to heal, but nothing too serious. 

 _"Thank God!"_  

Charles sent him the mental equivalent of a gentle tap on the shoulder. Erik smiled but Mystique snapped him out of it. 

"Quit mentally flirting with Charles and help me, will you? In case you haven't noticed we're still locked in here."

Erik felt his cheeks heating up. 'Flirting with Charles' - surely she was joking! It had to be a joke. 

Erik used his powers on the locks of the other cells and freed a bunch of mutants that were held there. The adrenaline pumping through his body helped him forget his own pain and he felt renewed as he started walking on his own, walking faster at that. Or maybe it was all Charles' doing. Maybe Charles used his mutation to numb the pain in Erik's body. Erik wasn't yet completely sure what Charles' limits were exactly. All he knew was that he felt considerably better after hearing Charles' voice. 

"That's more like it." Mystique gave an approving nod and went on leading everyone else towards the exist.

 _"I'm in the labs right now, there is a whole big room with held mutants here."_  Charles spoke inside his head again. Erik could feel the school teacher's horror and disgust upon seeing what Shaw's farmhouses were really like. It made him sound more assured, more empowered as he continued the telepathic conversation. _It's time they go free! I can feel their minds, it creates a kind of mental map of this place. I know exactly where every victim is. I can locate them all and we can save them!"_

 _"Yes, Charles. Yes, we can!"_ Erik replied.  _"But I need to do something else first."_

Confusion. 

_"Erik? What do you mean?"_

_"Shaw."_

Realization. 

_"Erik, no! Erik, leave it! Shaw is a horrible human being, I know! He deserves everything you have planned for him, but please, not now. Let us just save the people we can find here and let us save **you**. Please!"_

How could Charles even consider letting Shaw get away with this if there was even the slightest chance to stop him permanently? Erik shook his head. _"I'm sorry, Charles."_

_"Erik! This is too dangerous! Erik, please, don't do this, Erik!"_

Charles was screaming now. 

"Erik?" Mystique gave him a confused look, a mutant kid in her arms and a bunch of others following her closely. 

"I have something to do, Mystique." he said. 

It took her less than a moment to get it and she gave him a nod. "Good luck." she said and Erik knew she understood him, she understood his need to avenge. "Make it a good one, please. For me. For all of us." 

_"Erik, no, don't!"_

"I will." Erik told Mystique as he ignored Charles' voice inside his head and headed towards the part of the farmhouse Shaw and his crew usually inhabited. 


	21. Steel Is Forged Through Fire

"No. No, Erik, don't do this!" Charles was muttering, employing all his telepathic abilities to send the message to Erik, but he might as well be talking to a wall. Erik refused to respond, refused to give up his vengeance. Charles understood the emotion, of course -- hell, he even shared it! -- but he still just wanted to keep Erik safe. It was very important that Erik was safe! If anything happened to Erik-- he swallowed hard, his throat going dry -- if anything happened to Erik Charles would never be able to take it. 

Charles tried to ignore his fears and concentrate on following Erik's mind instead.

His friend was currently headed to the South wing of the farmhouse. Charles couldn't get any readings from there -- as if there were no minds present there at all -- which was most unsettling. Erik was obviously looking for Shaw but Charles could not feel Shaw anywhere in the building. Unless... Oh. Shaw still had that ability to block Charles. In that case little help would Charles be without his telepathy. 

A quick mental scan allowed him to locate Raven, the kids and the mutants. It was strange how no humans could be detected in this place at all. As if Shaw only surrounded himself with mutants who were helping him experiment on other mutants. It was sick. But Charles was pleased to see that the prisoners of this horrible camp were now being released, finally! Wanda and Peter were bravely helping Raven with letting these poor souls escape. Luckily the kids were safe with Raven.

More of Shaw's people were alarmed about the unusual activity so Charles sent Raven a quick mental warning to let her know to defend herself. For a moment he felt torn between following Erik or returning back to Raven. But as he observed his sister fight he realized something - Raven was no longer _his Raven_ ; she was _Mystique_ now and she was handling her fights better than he ever could. It brought strange feelings in his heart but he was so proud of her at that moment. 

So helping Erik it was.

~*~

Erik was threading carefully, as quietly as he could. Suddenly he felt a presence behind himself. He turned around abruptly, pinning the man that was following him to the wall, hard. Their eyes met, breaths mixed, chests raising and falling in harmony. It was Charles. 

Erik swallowed and after a few seconds, his grip softened and he let his friend go. 

"I thought you were an attacker..." Erik said dumbly, staring at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. 

"It's fine." Charles said quickly, his voice sounding a bit too squeaky which caused the smaller man to grimace and clear his throat. "Erik, please, let's just go, let's leave this place!" he pleaded. 

"Charles..." Erik said with a heavy heart. "I'm sorry but I have to do this." 

"But Erik, Peter and Wanda, they're waiting ou--" 

"I'm doing this for them!" Erik interrupted. 

"No, Erik, they're--" he froze. 

"Charles?" 

"Erik... someone's approaching. I can sense them." 

"Shaw?" 

Charles shook his head. "It's not Shaw. I can't feel Shaw anywhere. It must be that damn hat of his! It's blocking me." 

"Then I'll get rid of his hat and then I'll get rid of him." Erik said, his voice sounding rasp. 

Charles let out an exasperated sigh. "Erik, no. Why won't you listen to me?"

But Erik was already headed to wherever he imagined Shaw was right now. All Charles could do was follow. 

~*~

Wanda, Peter, Raven and a bunch of other mutants were safe outside the farmhouse. Raven had eliminated most of Shaw's people - the ones Charles hadn't put to sleep, that is. Wanda and Peter were helping her as well - Peter speeding up the hurt mutants' escape, Wanda throwing light balls at their attackers. Raven was surprised to see how good these kids were in a fight despite their age. She nodded approvingly - every mutant needed to know how to fight and stand up for themselves in the world they were living in. Charles was coddling everyone, creating a bubble for them to live in. Raven could understand why he was doing that, but this didn't mean she approved of this practice. Steel is forged through fire, after all. Eventually the bubble had to burst. 

"I think that's all of them." Peter said. 

Raven nodded. "Yeah, I think so too. Charles would've told me if there were more, trapped somewhere inside."

"But where is daddy? And Mr. Charles?" Wanda asked worriedly. "Shouldn't they be out already?"

Raven took in a deep breath, looking at the farmhouse in the distance. "I think they have one last fight left." she said. 

"You want to go with them?" Peter asked, trying hard to mask his uneasiness at the thought of him and his sister being left alone in charge of all those hurt mutants. 

"Yeah." Raven confessed. "But it's their fight. I will stay here." 

Peter smiled appreciatively. A silent _thank you_ which Raven gladly accepted. 

"Quick! Let's see if some of these mutants have any healing powers. They could help each other." she said authoritatively as she walked among them like a commander of an army.  

~*~

"He's not here, he obviously fled. So let's just get out of here." Charles insisted once again. 

Erik was walking ahead of him, entering another hall and looking around. 

"He has to be here somewhere..." Erik said but his words were cut short as a mechanism was activated and the heavy door to the hall locked Charles outside in the corridor, separating him from Erik. 

"Erik!" Charles called out, hitting and kicking at the door. "It's stuck! It won't let me in! Erik, are you alright?" 

 _"Oh, I'm alright, Charles."_ Erik said telepathically.  _"In fact, I'm better than alright. I just found Sebastian Shaw."_

Damn it! The worst possible time for Charles to be locked out! 

_"Erik, please, be careful! Please don't do anything stupid! This man is dangerous! He could hurt you! I don't want you to get hurt!"_

Charles couldn't keep the desperation out of his mental voice. But that did not reach Erik's heart - Charles could sense the other man's determination to kill Shaw. And suddenly he realized that this was Erik's design all along; to eventually get to Shaw and kill him. 

Charles nestled his own mind inside Erik's to tag along, so to speak, to hear and see what was happening in the hall. He had to know what was going on!

What he initially thought was another hall in the farmhouse, turned out to be more like a separate cabin, like a vessel, supplied with its own defensive system. Charles was about to figure out a way to open the huge door when suddenly he picked up another mind getting closer to him, ready to attack. Charles ducked quickly enough to avoid the hard punch the other mutant was throwing at him.

"You're not getting away now. The boss wanted you for some time." the man said with a heavy Russian accent.

"I'm sorry," Charles said, slowly straitening up again. "But frankly I don't give a damn what your boss wants." his fingers moved to his temple. " _Go to sleep._ "

And just like that the tall red-faced man fell on the floor, sleeping like a baby. Charles couldn't help the loud exhale that almost sounded like laughter. Using his mutation like that made him feel safer, stronger, but not exactly happier.

He had no time to ponder on that thought though. He averted his attention back to Erik. And yet something was lingering in the back of his mind, something that remained from Azazel, something _important_...  

Charles' eyes went wide. "Oh, my God, Erik." he breathed out. "Shaw's a mutant." 

~*~

 _"Shaw's a mutant! Shaw's a mutant!"_ Charles' voice rang inside Erik's head.  _"I saw it in Azazel's head. He's a powerful mutant! Be careful, Erik, please, be careful!"_

Erik felt disgusted. A mutant  _experimenting_ on other mutants. It was the ultimate betrayal. Shaw deserved to die even more now. Erik felt it was more than just a personal vendetta now, it was a mission. 

"I must congratulate you. You surprised me." Shaw said, walking towards Erik, smiling pleasantly at him. It made Erik feel like he was being watched by a snake, looking for the right time to attack and poison him. 

"I had a good motivation." Erik replied, stepping closer towards Shaw as well. 

"What would that be?" 

"Killing you." Erik said flatly. 

Shaw chuckled. "You really think this is a good idea?" 

"The best."

"Oh, my boy, you're so wrong." Shaw sighed. "You see, what I'm trying to do here, is to protect our kind. I'm a mutant, just like you." 

Being patronized by Shaw was even more disgusting. Erik didn't know he could get even angrier than before but apparently he could. It was almost like his capacity for rage knew no limits. 

"You kidnap innocent mutants - some of them children, lock them in this horror house and experiment on them." he hissed at Shaw. "How is that protecting our kind?" 

"Simple. We're special. We're better than the humans. But we're not yet evolved to our full potential. Not all of us anyway." Shaw explained, offering Erik a glass of whiskey. Erik instantly refused. Shaw shrugged, putting the glass down, and went on talking. "What I'm trying to do here is unlock whatever it is that makes us who we are. So many mutants suppress their gifts because no one wants to be called a freak, right? Is this how you want your children to live? Suppressed and ashamed of their own abilities? Once I make all mutants stronger, once I turn them into the best weapons in world history, we could do whatever we want! And no one would dare call us freaks then!" 

_"Erik, don't listen to him! Just take his hat off and I can freeze him. Please, trust me! I can hold him long enough for you make your escape."_

"Mutants and humans could never get along. And why should we?" Shaw asked. "We are far more superior than humans could ever be. And yet, we're the ones hiding. Aren't you tired of it? Aren't you tired of going from town to town, looking for a place you can call your home? A place where you can be accepted? Well, guess what, they'll never accept you."

_"Erik! The hat! Please! You need to remove his hat! It's like a telepathic helmet around his head. It's blocking me!"_

"What do you want from me?" Erik said unimpressed. "Why are you saying all this? You know I came here to kill you. Why don't you just fight me?" 

"Because you are my child. Like all the mutants." Shaw said, putting a hand on Erik's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "I am so much older than I look. I've seen so much more than you think. It pains me to see my mutants suffer. I need strong men like you to help me build a new world. A world where mutants can live in peace, safe and respected. You're a strong mutant, I could tell the moment I sensed your power. You can fight for the right cause, my boy." Both his hands rested on Erik's shoulders now. Shaw was a passionate orator. "I'm not fighting you, because I know you are sick and tired of living by the human rules. I'm not fighting you, because I know you want to join me. And deep down, you know the same thing." 

_"What utter bollocks! Just take his hat off and get the hell out of there!"_

"You know... I've always felt misunderstood." Erik told Shaw, his words heartfelt, his voice deep. "Always living in fear that once my secret is out my whole family will be killed. Humans have hurt me more than anyone ever has."

"Yes!" Shaw whispered, nodding with compassion. "I know. I understand! You're free here, my boy!"

"I spent years scared, alone, afraid." Erik continued. "No child has to be raised like that. I was doing my best to protect my children from the same fate."

"Your children will be strong and proud mutants, living in a better world once we're done with our fight!" Shaw said, not without pride.

_"Erik! Erik, what the hell!? Just take the helmet already!"_

"You know there is just one thing." Erik then said.

"What is that, my boy?" Shaw asked readily.

Erik leaned in closer to Shaw's face. "You're a pretentious asshole who hurt my children. So you deserve to die."

With one swift movement Erik grabbed Shaw's helmet-hat from the man's head and called out, "Now, Charles!"

In an instant Shaw was frozen. He couldn't move, he couldn't talk. He now resembled one of those wax figures they put on carnivals to amuse kids with. Erik took a moment to admire the view. The man who caused so much pain was now utterly helpless. 

_"Good, Erik, that's good! But I can't hold him long; he's too strong. Get out of there while I still have him."_

But Erik did not move. 

_"Erik?"_

"I'm sorry, Charles." Erik said, slowly lifting Shaw's hat on his own head. "I can't risk you trying to stop me." 

_"Erik, no! Please, don't do this, Erik!"_

He put the hat on and just like that Charles' voice was silenced inside Erik's head. It was only him there now, alone in his mind.

His friend was trying to knock the door down, to get inside, but it was all in vain. Whatever mechanism was holding it locked could only be opened from the inside. This entire part of the farmhouse was meant to seal inside whoever wanted refuge. So Charles stood no chances at all of ever getting in without Erik letting him. He was free to do whatever he pleased with Shaw. And what he pleased was to kill the man.  

He had no pistols with him, no bullets, nothing. He came here completely unarmed. What he did have in his pocket though was a coin. A  _metal_ coin. It was an unusual way to do things but Erik had always admired creativity. 

He felt the blood boiling in his veins and yet he was oddly calm when he directed the coin towards Sebastian Shaw's head. It was like something he always knew he had to do and now he was merely following through. It was no surprise to him that he'd be the one to kill Shaw so he felt almost numb when he was actually performing his execution. For _execution_ it was -- precise and detailed, punctual and emotion-free. 

"If you're hearing this, I want you to know that you deserve a much worse death than that." Erik said to Shaw's blank, expressionless eyes. "For what you did to your own kind. For what you did to us all. You deserve a much worse faith than that. But. I will just be glad to see you gone from this world. To be released from you. To keep my family safe from you. This is the only reason I am so merciful right now. You are right, we are better than the humans. But you've certainly acted more like a human than any of them." 

With these words he used his mutation to send the metal coin straight through Show's head, piercing it like a bullet. Somewhere in the distance he could hear Charles screaming something, knocking hard on the door. But Erik quickly shut out everything else, concentrating on this one task, taking his time. It was slow. It gave Erik time to process and finally believe that Shaw was gone forever. That the people he loved and cared about were safe from his menace. That Erik had protected them just like they had protected him. 

~*~

Charles was trying to kick the door open, knowing it was useless. He screamed and begged Erik to stop, to just leave, but Erik seemed relentless, ignoring Charles' pleading. 

"Erik, don't do this!" he was banging his head on the stout door. Useless, so utterly useless! "You don't have to kill him, be the better man!" 

Erik either didn't hear Charles, or didn't pay attention to his words. 

Charles bit his lower lip, hard. He was still in Shaw's mind for all of this, keeping the man frozen. It meant he was looking through Shaw's eyes, listening through Shaw's ears, feeling Shaw's feelings. He heard Erik's words and saw the determination in his friend's eyes as if he were there in person. He saw him lift the coin with his powers, pointing it at Sebastian Shaw and paled.  

"Erik?" Charles whispered helplessly, head propped wearily on the door. "Erik, _please_..." 

The coin slowly headed towards Shaw's forehead, making the action all the more terrifying. Charles was breathing harshly now, trying to steady himself for what was about to come. To feel another man dying... the mere thought was scary enough.

"Erik!" the name escaped Charles' lips like a breath as the telepath braced himself.

The coin breached Sebastian Shaw's skin. Charles screamed at the sudden agonizing pain as the round metal piece went on, passing through Shaw's head with unnatural slowness, tearing Charles' mind apart.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

At this moment Charles had no idea how loud he was screaming, or what was even happening around him. At this moment there was only the dying man's horrible pain, piercing through his mind and his own effort to hold Shaw still for all of this. To not let his mind slip now. 

Erik wanted to hurt Shaw, for what he did to his children, for what he did to him, for what he did to every mutant he had ever encountered. Erik wanted to hurt Shaw like Shaw had hurt him.

Erik didn't know he was hurting Charles instead.

Charles could've let go at any point, unfreeze Shaw, run away from that painful hurtful head, that horrible burning torment. But he didn't. He remained there, holding Shaw still for Erik because he knew that was the closure Erik needed in order to move on from his tragedy. It was what Erik needed and it was something Charles could give to him. So that he did. Even if it was the most physically torturous experience in his life. 

~*~

Shaw dropped dead on the floor. It was over. It was finally over. 

Erik breathed in and out slowly. The air of a world without Sebastian Shaw in it. It was good. 

 _Charles,_ he remembered. Charles had quieted down all the sudden.

Erik took off Shaw's weird helmet-hat, allowing Charles back in again. Strange. Charles didn't start nagging at him for not listening or anything. Charles was still quiet.

Erik felt sudden panic rising in his chest. Did someone hurt Charles while he was locked outside?

Quickly Erik looked for a handle, a lever or anything that would open the door. If no such thing was found, he could always tear it down with his mutation, but for that he preferred to be sure Charles wasn't too close and get injured. 

He finally found the lever and pulled it, causing the door to slowly open with a loud creak. Erik stepped out and looked around for Charles. He didn't have to look far. His heart clenched when he saw his friend lying unconscious on the floor.

"Charles?" Erik gasped, kneeling by Charles' side, turning him around in his arms to look him in the face. 

"Charles! Charles, wake up! Charles, please! What's wrong? Charles!" he cried desperately.

Charles opened his eyes just for a second. A weak smile appeared on his lips. "Too much." he said so quietly it could hardly be heard if Erik wasn't straining for it. Then the blue eyes closed again and Charles relaxed into Erik's embrace, unconscious and dead to the world. 


	22. In This Darkness You're My Light

When Charles woke up he found himself in Erik's arms. His friend was carrying him somewhere, Charles couldn't tell exactly where because he was still too disoriented and his head was hurting terribly. The heat of Erik's body was keeping Charles warm, giving him a feeling of comfort and coziness he really needed. He remained snuggled in this reassuring safe embrace, basking in its warmth for a few more moments before moving his head slightly, trying to curl up even closer to Erik's chest.

He could hear other voices around but they all sounded distant and foreign to Charles. All he could concentrated on now was Erik - Erik's warmth, Erik's scent, the beautiful curl of Erik's neck. Charles wished he could lean up and kiss him there but of course that was out of the question. Any other day Charles would be terrified of his outrageous thoughts and scandalous desires but now... now it all felt right and safe and good. It was like Charles belonged in Erik's arms. And even if he knew that this was ridiculous, impossible, that Erik would never reciprocate, despite all odds, Charles was dizzy enough to allow himself this little fantasy. He was in Erik's arms and the world was beautiful. 

Erik was muttering something, a question Charles couldn't quite make up. He tried to reply but before he could say a word he passed out again. 

The second time Charles woke up he was lying in his bed. He recognized his bedroom at his own home in Carlton. There was a candle on the nightstand so Charles assumed it must be evening. His vision was still a little blurry and his head was throbbing from the pain. He shifted a bit in his bed, trying to find a new, more comfortable position, when he heard Erik's voice from the other end of the room.  

"Charles! You're awake!" In an instant the other man was by Charles' side again. His voice was soft and charged with emotions. It was soothing, it was pleasant to hear and Charles melted into a dizzy smile. Erik kept talking. "I'm so glad you finally came to! You were out cold for a whole day... How are you feeling?" 

Charles tried to talk but his voice sounded funny in his ears so he switched to telepathy instead. 

 _"I'm tired and in pain, also a little weak and giddy, but I'm sure I'll be fine soon, my friend."_ he thought, giving Erik another small smile.

Erik only stared at him, not a word, not a thought, nothing. It was almost as if Erik wasn't there at all - Charles couldn't feel him. He frowned, it was an unpleasant feeling, he usually always felt the brushes of Erik's mind when they were in the same room. It was reassuring in a strange but lovely way. 

"Charles, can you talk? Can you hear me? What's wrong, Charles?" Erik said, his face looking increasingly concerned. 

That was odd. Charles only just talked to Erik, didn't he? He thought at him, he sent him his telepathic message. Why wasn't Erik receiving it? Was he trying to make him talk? With his voice? At a time when he was so utterly exhausted? In his dizzy state of mind Charles found it hard to suppress the desire to pout. 

"Charles! Please, just say something!" Erik gasped, sounding even more worried. "Raven! Raven, come quickly!" He called out. 

"No need to shout, Erik." Charles finally forced himself to speak. "I just told you how I was feeling. Didn't you hear me?" 

Erik shook his head hastily. "I didn't hear a thing, Charles." 

Charles felt a cold shiver rising up his spine, spreading throughout his entire body. 

"You-- you didn't?" he repeated confused. "That's never happened to me before... Erik, do you hear me now?" 

 _"I'm afraid there's something wrong with my mutation. I cannot sense you."_ Charles thought at Erik. 

Erik shook his head. "No, nothing... Are you sure you're doing it right?" 

"Of course, I'm doing it bloody right!" Charles gasped. "M-maybe I'm just tired. I'll try harder this time." he put his two fingers to his temple and looked Erik intensely in the eyes. "How about now?" 

_"I'm afraid! I'm very afraid!"_

Erik kept shaking his head no. 

"Now?" Charles was beginning to panic. 

_"You're gorgeous! I love you! I love you so much it scares me! God! Please, hear me and love me back! I need you, Erik!"_

This time he secretly hoped Erik didn't hear him. And yet when Erik shook his head no again, it was disappointing. 

"Erik... I think my telepathy is-- broken? I don't know. I haven't-- I don't know." 

He was confused, scared. It was suddenly too quiet, too secluded. Charles liked solitude and reflection but not complete isolation. And not feeling any mind close by was like he was surrounded by dead people. He could see Erik but he could not feel him alive. 

Erik probably felt Charles' terror somehow because he sat down on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around Charles' shoulders. "Shhh, it's alright. You're safe. We'll figure this out.  _You'll_  figure this out, I know you can. Just give it time and rest a bit for now, alright? Can you do that for me?" 

Charles knew this tone of voice, he recognized it well -- Erik talked the same way to his children when they were having bad dreams. It was Erik's comforting voice, the one he used when he wanted to calm down a loved one. It was sweet to have Erik talk to him in that way but at the same time deep inside Charles felt disappointment that Erik would think of him as one of his children. Charles was not a child! 

"I'm not a kid..." The words escaped his mouth before he could even register he was muttering anything at all. 

He bit his lip because seriously this was embarrassing! 

Erik chuckled. "Of course not." he said, softly, and Charles felt a large warm hand with long fingers stroking his head. It felt so good! Charles relaxed into the touch, eyes closing as he felt airy and light as if he were floating free and detached from everything earthly. He was getting unfocused again but he still followed Erik's calming voice. "You're not a kid, Charles, you're a very brave young man and I admire you so much. I owe you so much. I wish I could--"

Erik's hand was suddenly still on Charles' head, fingers curling through his hair. Charles felt his heartbeat speeding up, his breath coming out in short puffs. He had to open his eyes now, he knew he had to and he also wanted to. He wanted to see Erik's face in this moment.

"I wish I could..." Erik said, quieter now and when their eyes met Charles felt his heart swell with an emotion more powerful than him. Erik's lips parted as if he wanted to say something else but no words came out. Charles realized he was staring at his friend's mouth so he quickly closed his eyes again, relaxing further down into Erik's embrace, completely surrendering himself to Erik's mercy. He couldn't fight it anymore. He was still too vulnerable and exhausted. This feeling inside him, he could no longer fight it. Whatever it was -- perversion, a sin -- he needed to concede to it. He _loved_ Erik. He loved him with the love a woman has for a man. He loved him more than he's loved anyone in his entire life. He loved him even though he could never have him. And even though he was terrified of Erik discovering his horrible secret, there was a part of him that wanted to scream it with pride.

Erik was still there, slightly atop of Charles, quiet and seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Maybe his friend picked up the shameful feelings Charles had for him? Could that be it? Charles was suddenly consumed by the powerful urge to apologize.

"Erik, I'm sorry but I--" he began but was quickly cut off.

"Of course. I'm the one who's sorry, Charles." Erik said, clearing his throat and carefully pulling away from Charles, putting more space between them. "You should rest." he said, more composed now. "I'll go see why Raven's not coming up yet. And then I have to go home. Peter and Wanda need to get some sleep in their own beds tonight. And-- and so do I." 

Charles wanted to stop Erik, to keep him here by his side instead, but that was selfish and he knew it pretty well. He let out a small breath of disappointment and nodded. "Of course. Good night, my friend." 

"Good night, Charles." Erik said and rushed out of the room, leaving Charles alone with his thoughts. 

~*~

 _Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ How could he let it go this far? He almost freaked Charles out! Charles must have noticed the way Erik was looking at him and how he felt for him. God only knows if he'd want to be friends with him after discovering  _that!_

His fingers nervously ran through his hair as he rushed down the stairs. It took him a few moments to steady himself and his crazy heartbeat, to calm down, to remind himself that Charles was hurt and vulnerable; that he needed a friend, not a-- a creepy guy to freak him out! 

He remembered how afraid Charles looked when he couldn't connect to Erik telepathically. Losing one's mutation was a terrifying thought after all, Erik could understand that.

Maybe it was Erik's fault that Charles' telepathy didn't work? Maybe Erik couldn't receive it well after all he went through these last days? Or maybe Charles' injury went deeper than he and Raven initially thought. They knew it had something to do with his mind, with his mutation - an overexertion perhaps - but they figured a little rest would bring it all back to normal. But Charles woke up and felt nothing? This was very disturbing. Erik could only imagine the horror Charles must be going through. He wanted to be by Charles' side, he  _craved_ to be there for his friend. But maybe right now it would be better if Erik put some distance between them. To cool himself off and not overwhelm Charles. Raven. Raven was what Charles needed. So Raven he would get. 

"Raven, I've been calling you. Charles is awake." Erik said when he found Mystique in the kitchen, preparing dinner. 

She let out a joyful cry. "Finally! How is he? Never mind, I'll go see myself!" 

Erik stopped her by the door. "He-- He's not exactly himself." 

Raven frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"Raven, he couldn't use his telepathy." Erik said slowly, voice low as if he was afraid Charles would somehow hear and get even more upset. "He needs you more than ever." 

Raven's face was very serious. "What about you?" she asked. 

Erik shook his head. "He doesn't need me." Was all he said before letting her go. "Please take care of him. And if there's anything at all that I could do-- I just want him to be alright." 

Raven only nodded and gave Erik a long look that he could not quite decipher. Then she walked past him and went up to Charles' room. 

~*~

It's been three days and Charles was still feeling the same way. No telepathy. It was silent in his head. No feeling of another mind whatsoever. 

He had self-diagnosed himself already, of course. The strain to hold a powerful mutant such as Sebastian Shaw, the horrific pain of feeling Shaw's demise, it was all too much for him with his little experience in using his telepathy at such a massive scale. He expected to get it back soon. This condition could not be permanent. Or at least so he hoped. 

The pain was mostly gone. He still needed the rest, to his own annoyance, but it was getting better. He only saw Erik a few more very short times and usually with Raven or the kids present so he could hardly tell what was going on in Erik's head. But he did miss his friend's company. That's why he was glad to finally get Erik all to himself. 

He had chosen to stay in the living room that day, lying on the sofa next to the window, craving sunlight and the smell of flowers. He got the sunlight alright, no flowers though, but that was good too. When he saw Erik through the window, coming his way, his heart made a strange leap inside his chest at that sight. He waited for Raven to let Erik in, butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't follow Erik's mind as the other man got to the living room but he could instead hear his footsteps. He had to satisfy himself with that for now. 

"Erik! Good morning." Charles beamed the moment Erik crossed the threshold. 

"You're looking good." Erik said, standing like a punished student by the door, clenching his hat in his hands awkwardly. 

Charles smiled warmly at him, letting out a breath that felt suspiciously like a sigh.  _Really, Charles, so reckless! It's written all over your face! Get it together, Xavier!_

Erik took another step in and almost stuttered as he added. "I mean, better. As in healthier. How-- how are you fe--?" 

"I'm feeling better." Charles confirmed, the same smile not leaving his lips. He couldn't help it now. He was so happy Erik was alive that none of the other things really mattered. 

"Is the, er--" Erik said, one hand reaching up to his head. 

Charles shook his head, this time not suppressing his sigh. "No. Nothing yet. But I still have hope." 

Erik looked pained. He took another two steps closer and was suddenly right by Charles' head. 

"I'm sorry, Charles." he said, looking guilty. "For what happened, I truly am. I didn't know-- I should have stopped..."

That was sweet. Too bad Erik only meant this concern as a friend.  

"It's alright. I'm not hurt. Well..." he let out a small chuckle as he corrected himself " _a little_  hurt but that's because of my inexperience-- I'm not good at my mutation yet." Charles said sheepishly.  

Erik actually gaped at him. 

"Not good!? Are you joking? You were amazing out there!" his friend interrupted him with passion. Charles had rarely seen Erik this excited about anything. "Charles, your powers are-- _exceptional!_  I don't think I've ever seen something as remarkable as that." 

Charles couldn't help the little smile on his face as he heard the praise. Erik's enthusiasm about Charles' mutation, the way his eyes sparkled while he praised Charles' abilities... it was all too wonderful for Charles to take without his cheeks turning a deep shade of red. Coming from Erik, who was usually so restrained, so in control, the words really were something special. 

"Thank you, Erik." he managed to say, hoping he wasn't blushing too hard. 

He had enough strength to admit to himself that his feelings for Erik were past the line of friendship. He even had the time to accept this about himself. But it didn't mean that Erik had to know about it. Not really. Not at all. 

"I'm just glad it's over." he said, meaning it. 

"I'm glad it's over too." Erik said, taking Charles' hand for a moment and holding it before he quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. "Mystique says she and her group are going to track down whatever remains of Shaw's network and completely destroy it." 

"I told her I disapprove of that." Charles said, subconsciously pouting which caused Erik to laugh - actually laugh - at him. Charles fake-frowned, amused. "Hey!" 

"I'm sorry, Charles. But really you think Mystique would listen to you about that?" 

Charles sighed. "I guess not. But I still told her she should go home." 

"What did she say?" Erik asked. 

Charles looked up and their eyes met. "She said _that_ was her home. And that she had to fight for her cause." 

"She's not wrong." Erik nodded, sitting down more comfortably on the chair close to Charles. "A worthy cause is like a home."

"I told her I can track most of them down once my telepathy is back." Charles said, his fingers gently tapping his temple. 

Erik's lips suddenly turned into a tight line, the crease on his forehead deepening. "Are you sure it is coming back?" he finally asked, his voice almost a whisper. 

"I cannot know for sure but yes, I think it should." Charles said, trying to sound confident about it even though he spent the last several days and nights silently obsessing over the loss of his mutation. He forced a chuckle to distract himself from his fears. "It's funny really. I spent a lifetime suppressing my abilities, wishing I could be  _normal_ and now I just pray I don't lose them forever." 

"It's not strange at all." Erik said, not laughing with him, his brow furrowed. "Your mutation is a part of you. To lose it is like losing a limb." 

"I guess even if we do live in a world where peculiar individuals like ourselves are being persecuted or considered witches, we still love our abilities in a way only a fellow mutant can understand." 

"I agree. When Shaw blocked my powers in that cell I thought I'd go insane. Luckily that wasn't for long. I sincerely hope your telepathy returns to you, Charles. It's a terrible thing to happen to you and I could never forgive myself if I caused this." 

"You didn't cause this." Charles rolled his eyes. "You couldn't have known the consequences." 

"But you knew." Erik said, carefully looking at Charles with searching eyes. "Didn't you?" 

Charles inhaled rather loudly before replying. "I knew what was coming." he admitted. "I didn't know I'd lose my ability to even sense other minds, but I knew it would be painful and hard to take." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"Please, don't apologize anymore. I knew what I was doing." 

"Why didn't you stop?" 

Charles frowned. "What?" 

"You should've stopped!" Erik said evenly. "Unfreeze Shaw and pull out of his mind." 

Why didn't he? Because Erik needed him not to. 

"I had my reasons." he said out loud. 

For a long moment Erik didn't say anything which made Charles suspect that his friend knew exactly  _why_ Charles didn't pull out that fateful day. But of course without his telepathy it was impossible to tell. 

He did not like the uncertainty so he was quick to change the topic.

"I managed to convince Raven to stay with me for at least a few months before she heads to her new mission." 

"That's good. You two need to spend some time together after everything you both went through." Erik said, welcoming the new topic. "And maybe once she's ready I could join her in her quest." 

Charles froze and soon realized he had began shaking his head no frantically. Erik arched an eyebrow. 

"You can't go!" Charles blurted out. "You have a life here. You-- You have to stay here and-- and you have _children!_ " his voice was suddenly too high and screechy in his own ears but he could not be bothered with that at a time like this. "You can't go when you have _children_ , Erik!" 

"They're mostly at school. There are options, Charles." 

"They need a father!" Charles insisted. 

"They'd understand." Erik said calmly. "Besides, they're so good at all the adventuring and fighting, I should probably take them with me as my strategists." 

There was a hint of amusement in Erik's voice, a slight teasing that Charles was too upset to catch at the moment. And without his telepathy his understanding of social cues had considerably dropped. 

"This isn't funny, Erik! You seriously cannot go!" 

"Why not?" 

"Well, for one I-- well..." 

He felt like crying. It was stupid and ridiculous and he hated it. Erik would really leave him? To fight? To expose himself to more danger? After they just got out of one dangerous situation? It was too cruel and he could not accept it! He had plans! He actually had plans! He was going to dedicate his life to the school, make a few changes and do something good for the future generations. And he needed Erik by his side, as a friend, of course - he could not hope for more, - but that was something he was willing to settle for. It was certainly better than no Erik at all! And now Erik actually was considering leaving him to fight for mutants with Raven? 

"Please, don't go..." Charles whispered, awkwardly looking down at his hands. There was nothing else he could do. He felt helpless again, so utterly helpless. 

Erik seemed at a loss for words at this unexpected reaction from his friend. He shifted in his seat, trying to come up with a proper reply. "Please, Charles, I didn't mean to--" 

"Hey, it's Erik's decision, y'know." Raven suddenly walked into the room and startled them both. She chuckled at both their reactions and sat down on the chair next to Erik's. "You can't keep everyone you love close to you all the time, Charles. You have to learn to let us go. We're free spirits and all that." 

"I don't want either of you to get hurt." Charles said, his voice small. He rubbed at his eyes because he knew if he didn't the unshed tears that had gathered there would roll down his cheeks and he did not need  _that_ on top of everything else. He didn't need to have Erik see him  _cry._

"I know. But again, it's our decision." Raven said with surprising cheerfulness. "And it's really not as dangerous as you make it sound. Most of Shaw's men and women have already heard of us and no one wants to mess with the guys that killed their leader. They're scared of us all. They won't put much of a fight." 

"Raven..." 

"You could come with us, too. We now know you actually have it in you." She offered. 

Charles shook his head. "I almost lost both of you. I don't ever want to feel that way again." 

Raven got up and wrapped her arms around Charles. "It's alright." she whispered and then giving Erik a look she said "I'll take it from here. Without his telepathy my poor brother has gotten so sensitive! You can go, Erik." 

Erik reluctantly put his hat back on his head and headed to the door. "If you need me, don't hesitate to--" 

"Yeah, we know, we know!" Raven waved him off. 

"Alright." Erik said and stepped out. 

Charles took a deep breath in and shut his eyes close. Why did everyone he cared for eventually have to leave him? 

 


	23. You Are Not Alone

Charles' days were relatively peaceful. Erik didn't mention his ideas of leaving Carlton again and Charles dared hope that it was just a fleeting notion and his friend wasn't going to follow through after all. And yet the uneasy feeling remained settled in his heart. Even if Erik didn't leave _now_ , what's to stop him from leave _eventually_? Charles couldn't keep him by his side all the time, Raven was right. Just like he couldn't, in fact, keep Raven either. They had to go live their own lives and Charles had no saying in that. He hated the fact that he always had a tendency to build his own life around people. Back in England it was Raven and those families he used to help. Here in Carlton it was Raven, Erik, the kids and the school. He never put himself in the center of his world, he always put other people there instead, making it all the more difficult and painful when he eventually had to let go. This was starting to get... self-destructive.  

But for now things seemed peaceful and Charles tried to push any disturbing thoughts out of his head. He needed the rest more than he needed the stress, after all. Besides, what was wrong with carrying? Yes, of course, it gets him hurt a lot, abandoned, but carrying also kept him alive. In a strange way the very thing that was causing him pain was also making him stronger. 

Despite his thoughts and worries Charles appeared calm. He stayed at home, drank a lot of tea, didn't move much, napped pretty often and had only a few visitors - Raven made sure to get rid of any unwanted curious people who only came for the gossip. Raven only allowed close friends - Erik and his kids, Hank, Moira and herself. Charles was grateful for it. 

As for his health, Charles' headaches were getting better but there was still no sign of his telepathy. If that continued, he feared he may have to accept the fact that he had lost his mutation permanently. He did not talk about it much although the thought was constantly there, hanging over him like a dark cloud. He found himself brooding quite often these days. Sometimes it took Raven minutes to get his attention. But she was always patient with him, as if feeling sorry for him and it felt a little--

"Charles!" Raven's voice pulled him out of his latest daydream. 

"Yes?" he looked back at her absentmindedly. 

"Finally he hears me!" she rolled her eyes at him. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just... nothing particular." he muttered. What else was he to say to that anyway?

She pursed her lips but let it slide. "Alright, if you say so."

He only smiled in reply and looked out the window again.

"He said he'll pop by after he finishes work today." Raven said.

Charles almost jumped startled. "I wasn't--"

"Yeah, you were." she said with a knowing smile. "Every time you look through that window you're expecting _him_."

Charles opened his mouth to say something but no words came out so he closed it again and bit his lower lip. Raven smiled at him again, looking a bit amused. 

"It's alright." she said. "I don't mind or anything, if that's what you were worried about. I love you, Charles. You're my brother." 

"I love you too, Raven!" Charles replied heartfelt. 

Raven _knew._ It was a relief but at the same time Charles wasn't sure what else to say about that so he remained quiet until Raven suddenly broke the silence again. 

"So when are you going to tell him?" 

Charles frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"You know exactly what I mean. You like Erik. Maybe you even love him." 

"Raven..." 

"Don't try to fool me, Charles. Not me." she shook her head. "You think I didn't notice?" 

He sighed. "No, of course you noticed. You always notice." 

She nodded. "You bet I notice. And you as good as confessed! So when will you tell him?" 

Another sigh, even more pained than the last one. "I'm not sure if I should." he said honestly. "Erik has children--" 

"So what? Lots of guys have children but like-- the _company of men_." Raven butted in.

"-- and he thinks of me as a friend." Charles continued. 

Raven grimaced at that. "You really think so? I mean, I have no telepathy and all but even I can tell you're special to him." 

"That doesn't mean he'd want to--" he cut himself off, letting out another silent sigh. "He's a friend, Raven. Friends are special to one another too." 

"No denying that, Charles, but, there's more to it, if you ask me." Raven gave him two taps on the thigh. "My instincts tell me Erik cares in a way that is considerably different than friendship. Check inside his head when you get your telepathy back if you don't trust me." 

Her constant optimism that he'd get his telepathy back, that it was a temporary condition, was really starting to get hurtful. It's been a week and Charles still had no feeling whatsoever of his telepathy! he was probably not getting it back,  _ever,_ and Raven was only reminding him of what he's lost! His telepathy! Erik! All things he wants but can never have!  

"I would never violate Erik like that so don't talk about things you do not understand!" he snapped.

Raven was taken aback by his outburst. He regretted it the moment the words were out of his mouth. It was his pain and frustration talking, not him, but it wasn't Raven's fault he felt that way.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, looking down at his hands.  

"Maybe that's the problem." she said instead. "Maybe Erik wants you to violate him a bit." 

"That just sounds wrong." Charles said.

"Maybe he wants you to take some control for once!" Raven ignored him and kept talking, trying to prove her point. "Maybe he's just waiting for you to make the first move. It's not as if we come from a society that talks much about such things. But it's different here, Charles. We're not back in England. I've seen guys having relations with other guys freely when there's no woman around. And they won't be killed for it. People kill here for different reasons, Charles, not for being a _fan of Walt Whitman_."

Apparently anything associated with the great poet was referring to shared preference for men in these parts. Charles knew Raven wasn't wrong but he was still afraid of losing his friend. 

"Maybe he just wants you to say it so that he can go," here Raven grinned and suddenly transformed herself into Erik, _"'Oh, Charles, my friend, I waited for you to say this for so long! You're so good with my kids, I just want to be good to you in return! As a blacksmith I do metal stuff all day long with my strong arms but I really just want to do you!'"_  

"Raven! Shut up!" Charles gasped, his face burning hot red. But he was still not able to resist a little chuckle to Raven's crazy ideas. 

She transformed back to herself again, pleased that she managed to cheer him up. "Give it a thought. Just because you're both men it doesn't mean you can't be in love. I want you to be happy, Charles."

"I know you do." Charles allowed. "But, Raven, I just can't--"

"-- lose him, I know." she finished the sentence for him. "I don't want to burst your bubble, Charles, but you don't exactly have him now either. I can't tell you what goes on in Erik's mind but one thing I do know and that's that there's something there. I've seen the way Erik looks at you. It could mean more than what you thought." 

Charles remained silent. _Could_ was not same as  _is._ Raven's words still touched him deep inside though. He nodded, looking up at her with big blue eyes. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Besides, you either figure out how to deal with this or I'll keep transforming into Erik until you finally surrender." she grinned at him amiably. 

He huffed and rolled his eyes as she grinned at him and let him rest.  

~*~

Erik returned back to work almost instantly. He had his home to rebuild after all - the fire left very little of it. But Erik also regained his strength sooner than Charles did. Thanks to Charles' telepathic efforts at the farmhouse and the healing mutants' help afterwards Erik was physically healthy. 

Charles, however, was a different thing. Charles' wound was deeper than what met the eye. It was his mind, his head, his mutation. It was something no mutant-healing powers could bring back. Only time. 

Charles was aware of that - he knew he had to be patient and patient he was as much as he could. And yet he completely refused to be confined to his bed or the couch for more than a week. Despite Raven's protests he was planning to go back to school first thing on Monday. Raven looked for support in Erik but the blacksmith only grinned his shark-like grin and shrugged, _Charles can make his own decisions. We have to respect them.",_  was what he said and that was that. Charles was pleased that at least Erik didn't treat him like a child or like a sick person. Raven would probably tease him about it even more later on - it was her habit these days to shapeshift into Erik's form and exaggerate things Erik had said or done during the day that out of context seemed more tender than he meant them to be. Charles would just have to deal with her jokes when he gets to them. Now he dedicated his attention to the children instead. 

They were so happy to have their teacher back. He got hundreds of curious questions and lots of hugs as well as little rhymes and lovely drawings of him in various heroic poses. It was adorable and so touching it warmed his heart and he couldn't help but smile brightly at them all.

Wanda and Peter were especially happy to see him back. They knew he was unwell and what what really happened so their happiness of having him back to his usual self was combined with considerable doze of relief that he was alright despite everything. Often they would exchange knowing looks with their teacher during classes - looks that only the three of them could understand. It made Charles feel even closer to them, as if they were actually  _his_ children. Which was just another point for Raven to tease him about if she catches up on that. 

It was really good to be back. Even if it was confusing to be outside and around people without his telepathy. He was like a cat without its whiskers -- a little disoriented and dizzy -- but he was trying to get adjust. He might need to for longer than he initially hoped...

It took another few days before things got a bit closer to what he used to call normal but it was better than staying at home and secretly obsessing over whether or not his mutation would return. 

Of course there was the matter of the 'other people'. Carlton was a small town and people talked. The story of their farmhouse adventures was known by everyone in less than a day. Of course Charles, Erik, Raven and the others agreed that the the events had to be told in a more creative way rather than a completely truthful way - they couldn't mention the word mutant, after all! Coming out as mutants would instantly mean huge trouble. Charles had heard of cases where mutants who revealed their powers were accused of witchcraft and burned to the stake. It was terrifying. 

So in their reports of the events all mutants omitted mentioning their abilities and explained the farmhouses as places where experiments were conducted on _people._ Naturally, that didn't make the story less exciting and interesting so now it was the talk of the town! Suddenly everyone wanted to pop by the school or the blacksmith's new workplace. It didn't take to be a psychic to know that the real reason behind the remarkable interest was the curiosity to see Charles or Erik - the two brave and victorious men who saved all those poor people from that horrid place and returned them to normal life. 

Meeting more mutants and learning their stories only confirmed what Charles already knew - mutants needed a sanctuary, a place where they could explore their abilities and be themselves. Charles was willing to give as much of that as he could. And that's exactly what he wanted to talk to Hank about. Why Hank? Well... In his life Charles had met several people with glowing minds. He never realized what it meant, tried to convince himself it was random, always took it for granted that some minds had that light and others didn't. But after his adventure at the farmhouse he realized that  _each and every mutant_ had a glowing mind. Charles didn't believe much in coincidence and he was clever enough to put two and two together. His conclusion was that mutant minds were glowing in Charles' head. Or at least, they did when he has his telepathy. Hank's mind was glowing before so it could only mean one thing - Hank was a fellow mutant! So he had to know the truth of what happened - the whole story. 

Half an hour later Hank was blinking at Charles incredulously. 

"You're reading too much Jules Verne, Charles." Hank said, twisting his fingers nervously. 

If Charles wasn't 100% sure that his friend was a mutant, he would've doubted himself by now. But things being as they were, he could only press further. 

"Hank. It's alright." Charles reassured him, placing a gentle hand on Hank's. "I know. And I'm happy you're my friend."

The young man took in a deep breath. "You  _know?_ What do you  _know?"_

This was tricky. Without his mutation Charles couldn't really tell what was Hank's special gift. He never thought of peeking inside his friend's head back when he had the chance so Hank's secret was still a mystery to Charles. But he knew for sure that Hank probably needed the same emotional support as Charles did, as Erik did, as Raven, Peter, Wanda did... all mutant kind. No one has to be alone! 

"What do you  _know,_ Charles?" Hank pressed. 

Charles licked his lips. "I know that you're different. I know that you think it's a deformity of sort, an anomaly. But it's not! You're not the only mutant around, Hank! I know that you're special and I think this is wonderful!" 

Hank's brow was furrowed in deep concentration. "How did you find out?" he finally asked. 

And Charles told him. Every bit of it. How he first discovered his mutation, what he felt, what he wished he had then. It was good to be out with it in front of someone who'd understand. It was good to be believed. It was good to be free. 

"But if I'm not the only one-- if there are others like us..." Hank said, still so emotional from all the new information he had heard. "That means--" 

"Yes." Charles nodded with a smile. "Yes, we're not alone and there are others like us. Others who need our help."

"That is _huge_ , Charles! Knowing that we're not just a few exceptions... that we are a-- a _kind."_

"Yes! Yes, we are. And I was thinking... Hank, I want to reorganize our schools a little bit if you don't mind." Hank looked at him with what Charles assumed was curiosity. "And I want you to help me with it." he continued.

"What do you have in mind?" Hank asked.

And now finally Charles could put it into words out loud, what was in his head for some time now. What he always wanted to have himself. A safe place.

"I want to bring more mutants to our school. I want them to know they're not alone. I want them to feel safe and proud of who they are. I don't want them to live in fear, or to suppress their gifts because they're different from the usual pattern. I want to help them develop those gifts, Hank. I want to give them what I always needed while growing up but couldn't have. A home. Will you help me, Hank?" 

It only took a moment before Hank was eagerly accepting this and praising the idea. After all, it was all he needed and wished to have while he was growing up too. 


	24. Epilogue: A Bright Future

When he got home Raven was out. She was acquainting herself with the town, already made a few friends, met with people she liked, met with people she never wished to see again... Luckily for her, her mutation allowed her to easily avoid unwanted attention. Charles always thought it was outrageously funny the way she would just shapeshift whenever she noticed someone she disliked. They never recognized her and thus she always managed to avoid them brilliantly while Charles was forced by his politeness to socialize and hear out whatever ridiculous story they had to tell that day. Of course, he could easily use his own telepathy to distract people's attention away from himself but he always thought that was unethical. Now he only wished he could use his powers at least one more time. 

He sat on his favorite armchair with a book in his hand when he heard the front door and footsteps. Rather heavy footsteps and then a familiar male voice. 

"Charles, the door was unlocked so I thought I could just let myself in."  

Charles glanced at Raven and rolled his eyes - she was doing it again! Pretending to be Erik. Why did he ever confess his true feelings for the man to her!? Now she would never leave him alone! 

"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not intruding." _'Erik'_ said, faking nervousness brilliantly. Raven did have an eye for details, those were Erik's exact mannerisms when he was feeling awkward. "I just wanted to--" 

"Yes, yes, I know." Charles cut her off with an exasperated sigh. "You just wanted to kiss me until we both suffocate. Yes, I know!" 

Raven seemed puzzled. "Uuuh..." Her eyes were looking at Charles searchingly as if trying to understand what he was expecting of her. Damn, the girl's got talent!

"I must hand it to you, Raven, you're good!" Charles chuckled, putting his book down. "You're extremely convincing tonight." 

"Umm, I'm not sure I follow..." 

This was hilarious! This was gold! Charles laughed heartily. "Erik does this exact same face!" he smiled, biting his lower lip.

She looked just like Erik, talked like him, moved like him... But the things she as Erik told him weren't true, they were jokes. And eventually it became too difficult to have a fake Erik admiring him while knowing that the actual Erik did not reciprocate.

His mood shifted quickly and now he was sighing again. "Really, Raven, when will you let this go already?" He asked pleadingly. He couldn't really let her go on with this charade any longer. He was only human and he had feelings, damn it! "It's really confusing when you make yourself look like _him._ It's a joke to you but to me-- You know I can hardly look at him without throwing myself at him. And you doing this to me all the time, parading yourself as him and mocking my feelings, it's really too much. You've never been in love, Raven, so you don't know what it's like but this is beginning to feel really hurtful." 

Raven was blinking in confusion at him, her mouth slightly open. She didn't shift back to her usual human form, or her true blue form. She just stood there, looking awkward and dumbstruck. It was unnerving. 

Charles froze too and stared back, getting a little freaked out now. 

"You really are way too convincing tonight, Raven." he said slowly. "Please, please, turn back into yourself already. It isn't funny!" 

 _Raven did not turn back into herself even after he asked._ Raven  _always_ ended her jokes when Charles said she went too far. 

She spoke, her Erik voice shaking a little. "Your... umm...", cough, "Your sister, she um... she told me it was okay to just get in whenever the door's open..." 

Charles' eyes went wide in horror. 

"Oh, my God. Erik!?" he exclaimed.

"Yes." Erik - for apparently it was actually him! - replied slowly. "I apologize. I should've knocked. But Raven said it was alright..." 

"Oh, no... No, no, no, no, no!" Charles' fist went up in his hair and he started pulling. "I'm so very sorry, Erik! I..." He covered his face with his hands in a weak attempt to hide himself from Erik's gaze. "This is so embarrassing!" He gasped.  _This really was so embarrassing!_ "What I meant was... it was a joke, a game Raven and I play..." _God, that sounded even worse!_   "It doesn't mean that I feel that way-- I mean, I do, but I promise I'll get it under control... I mean, I couldn't get it under control for so long, but I'm sure I will eventually... I'll figure it out. I'll stay away! I-I won't let my affections cause you any distress..." 

During Charles' blabbing Erik determinedly crossed the distance between them so when Charles removed his hands from his face and looked up again he found himself gazing into Erik's eyes. 

"Oh, boy..." he let out his breath and it sounded too much like a sigh. Why was Erik so gorgeous? It was so distracting to be _this_ close to him. "What I-- I'll just-- Now I'll just--" 

Erik's eyes were still on him, intense and hot. Charles' heart was doing embarrassing things inside his chest, pounding like crazy both because of his terror and because of Erik's proximity.

"Charles?" Erik said, voice low and a little husky.

"Yes, Erik?" Charles breathed out helplessly, surrendering himself to his fate. 

"Shut up?" Erik said as he leaned in and pressed his lips to Charles'. 

For a moment everything disappeared and the only thing Charles was aware of were Erik's soft lips moving on his own, Erik's hand wrapping around his waist and Erik's hot breath when he pulled away to look at him expectantly. 

He was waiting for Charles' response, Charles' brain registered vaguely. He knew it was his time to talk, to say something, to approve or disapprove. Erik made his move already and now it was Charles' turn. But instead he found himself dumbstruck, too overwhelmed by all the crazy emotions spiraling out of control inside him.

For a while they both just stood there, neither of them daring to move - not forward, not away. Then suddenly all nervousness left Charles and he pressed himself closer to Erik, wrapping his arms around the blacksmith's neck and pulling him down for another hungry kiss. He didn't mean for it to be so desperate and needy but he couldn't help himself. This was Erik kissing him with intent. This was Erik, wanting him. This was Erik, letting out a low moan in the back of his throat. 

"Erik, I love you!" Charles managed to blurt out, big blue eyes looking at Erik with devotion. 

"I figured as much!" Erik replied, grinning excitedly, not letting go of Charles. His whole face was beaming, joy radiating from him, making Charles regret that he couldn't feel it with his mutation. It must feel delightful! "I love you too, Charles! I have since--" he grinned again, not really admitting since when exactly. "I wish I knew you felt the same. All this time lost..." 

Charles shook his head quickly. "Let's not waste any more of it!" he said and boldly pulled Erik back to his lips, pressing himself tightly against Erik's body. Erik gladly reciprocated. 

They kept kissing for a long while - both of them suppressing these feelings for far too long to be able to keep them under control now. Hands roaming on one another, exploring each other with curiosity and passion, kissing every part they could reach and then suddenly...

"Well, hi, Charles! As a blacksmith I looooove metal." a voice came from the corridor, getting closer with each word. "So I was thinking, are you made of metal because I'm attracted to yo-- Oh, holy shit!!!" 

Charles and Erik pulled away from one another, panting and startled. Another Erik was standing by the door, staring at them both with a gaping mouth. 

"Damn! I hope you didn't think  _that_ was me, Charles!" The other Erik said, as he shifted into Raven - just as shocked and gaping as when she was pretending to be the blacksmith. 

Charles noticed Erik carefully placing his hat before his crotch to hide the very obvious bulge that was forming there while they were kissing like crazy a moment ago. He envied him from the depths of his heart because Charles wasn't lucky enough to have his hat close by. He swallowed nervously and cleared his throat. 

"Raven. I thought you were out." His voice was hoarse, mouth dry and let's not even begin on his heartbeat or blushing rosy cheeks. "I um... yeah, I thought you were out." 

"Evidently!" Raven said and she was grinning now. "I'm so happy! And I'm so sorry!" she said, taking a few steps backwards towards the door. "I'll go out again now! In fact, I will probably just spend the night with Wanda and Peter. We were talking about having a picnic soon so... Maybe _tonight's the night_." 

She winked at Charles and before he could reply or blush some more she was out of the room and out of the house. 

Erik was still standing dumbly by Charles' side, clenching his hands and his hat before himself. 

"So Raven knows." Charles said, going for casual but managing awkward instead. 

"I see what you meant about her being good at it. That was a great impression of me." Erik nodded, a small smile forming in the corners of his lips. 

Charles burst into a jolly laughter, wrapping himself around Erik again and resting his head on Erik's chest and shoulders.

"At least she'll stop teasing me about you now." Charles grinned, taking in Erik's scent.

Erik wrapped his arms around Charles again, throwing the hat on the floor and kissing the top of Charles' head. 

"Was it that unbearable to 'not throw yourself at me' whenever you saw me?" Erik asked with a smug smile. 

Charles bit his grin back.  _Bastard!_  

"Stop that!" he gasped, blushing. 

"No, it's-- it's good." Erik mused. "I wish you had thrown yourself at me. Then I would've done this much sooner." 

He leaned in and kissed Charles again, gently and slowly, taking his time to enjoy and explore every bit of Charles' mouth. Charles was already on cloud nine. He melted into Erik's embrace, forgetting all of his other worries. He knew right there and then that Erik was not going to leave him; that Erik's life was intertwined with Charles' and that Erik loved him just like Charles loved Erik. 

As they made love that night Charles felt elevated and blissful and right after his climax he could feel another powerful wave of hot white pleasure, overwhelming his entire being in a glorious way. It was almost too much to take and it made him want to cry with joy. 

He was too much beyond himself to even understand what that was. It took him a good few moments to realize that the second climax he felt was Erik's. Somehow in all this excitement he got his telepathy back. It only made his happiness complete. 

~*~

"The school will reopen again just on schedule. Everything is under control and we got quite a few mutant kids now." Hank was smiling at Charles. 

"Yes, I'm so pleased!" Charles replied pleasantly. "Thanks for the device you made for me, Hank. I can definitely feel more minds like that." 

"It's such good timing getting your mutation back." Raven butted in with an evil grin as she poured herself more tea. "How exactly did you achieve that, again?" 

 _"You're evil, Raven. You're on the dark side."_ Charles said in her head, only causing her to smile at him wider. 

 _"I can put two and two together, Charles. You got your telepathy back right after that night I caught you with Erik kissing."_ She thought back at him, eyes twinkling, while her face looked innocent. _"So I assume shagging your brains out helped curing you. I guess I owe Erik a thank you."_

Charles rolled his eyes at her fondly and tried to look neutral. They were in public after all, on the official opening of the school, surrounded by teachers, parents and children. Charles, Hank and Moira were pleased to find that the new school year was about to start with full classrooms. The town that seemed so against education was slowly finding its way on the path of knowledge. Charles even managed to get more mutant teachers as well since many of the mutants from the farmhouse expressed their delight in helping Charles' cause. It was heartwarming and not even Raven's constant teasing could cloud this day. In fact, it improved it because he could feel how happy she was for him. 

"These cakes are delicious, Miss Raven. L-let me help you..." Hank stuttered as he cut a piece of cake and put it in a plate with trembling hands, offering it to Raven. 

Raven only shrugged and took it, giving poor Hank a carefree smile. Charles looked at them fondly. Hank definitely had Charles' sympathies. 

His eyes searched for Erik who was a few steps away from their group with Wanda, Peter and some of the other kids, listening attentively to something the little ones were telling him. The image brought a tender smile on Charles' face. Erik was so good with kids, such a great father. It was endearing and it made Charles love the man even more. If that was even possible. 

The school was lovely, the reorganization was a success, and a lot of it was thanks to Erik. He got so enthusiastic about Charles' idea for a mutant school that he offered to help rebuilding it to suit their new needs. Charles was pleased his lover wanted to participate in something that meant so much to them both. This project had another secret and more private meaning to the two of them. It was a symbol of their new beginning - a new life with all previous sorrow left in the past, a new life with new hopes and new dreams. A new life and a bright future. 

"Excuse me." Charles told Raven, Hank and the rest and made his way towards Erik. "Need any help?" he offered his friend with a smile, giving Erik's shoulder a quick tap. 

"We're doing fine. We're discussing a very important experiment we're about to conduct later on." Erik said seriously as the kids started talking over each other, explaining their ideas enthusiastically, making it rather difficult to actually hear what it was that they were planning. 

Charles chuckled warmly, his hand discretely finding its way into Erik's, who squeezed it gently and held it close to himself. 

 _Yes,_ Charles closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his face,  _a beautiful bright future!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so this part of the story ends.  
> I want to thank everyone who stayed till the end and put up with my slow updates. Thank you so much, my darlings, you're exceptional and very groovy!  
> As you can see this story put the beginning of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters in the Wild West. I am writing a sequel that follows Charles and Erik's life together after the school is already established and working, with new students coming in and new villains too. Here you can read the sequel [Mutants Gone Wild](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8635741/chapters/19803769) 
> 
> Peace and serenity, my Cherik-loving friends!  
> ~ Cherikella


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